Unfortunately, there are many different ways that people experience grief and grief can occur immediately due to a life-altering event or later on. Grief can impact a person mentally and emotionally and may take years to process. Grief often happens when someone experiences a loss of a loved one. However, this is not the only cause.
In this post, we will explore what grief looks and feels like, various reasons you may be experiencing grief and how to help yourself or a loved one through grief.
Symptoms of Grief
Hopefully, recognising the symptoms can help you identify grief within yourself and your loved ones, so you know when to seek help and offer extra support to others.
According to the NHS and Marie Curie, physical and psychological symptoms of grief can include:
● Feeling hazy or numb
● Extreme sadness, often accompanied by lots of crying
● Overtired, sleeping less/more than usual or lack of energy
● Anger
● Guilt
● Tight chest or breathing difficulties
● Hypersensitivity to external stimuli such as noises or lights
● Unexplained aches or pains
● Changes in appetite
● Dry mouth
For more information, please read our previous post on what grief feels like.
Possible Causes of Grief
● Feeling like you have failed or are not leading the life you expected for yourself
● Anniversary or event-triggered grief, such as grief that resurfaces during Christmas time
● Receiving a diagnosis for a terminal illness
● Receiving a late diagnosis for a learning disability, such as ADHD, autism, or dyslexia
● Finding out you can’t have children, miscarriage, loss of surrogate baby, or a rejected adoption application
● Grief due to a resurfacing old or repressed memory
● Anticipatory grief of losing a loved one or dying
● Loss of your favourite place
● Absence grief, such as the loss of a relationship or an important friendship
● Collective grief occurs when a whole community experiences huge change or significant loss (this is very common in people who were heavily affected by the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021)
Comforting Your Loved Ones During Grief
If you recognise any symptoms of grief in a loved one or are notified of them experiencing one of the possible causes of grief, you may want to help through their grieving process.
Many people turn to close friends or family members when they need help, but often people struggle to reach out for help when they need it most. Depending on your relationship with the person who is struggling, you may wish to reach out to them and ask how you can best help them.
As a Memorial Jewellery brand, we have spoken to several people about what helps them and comforts them during the different stages of grief. You may also find our previous posts on the Inscripture blog helpful during your initial grieving.
Experiencing Grief Yourself
The process becomes easier to work through when you have a good support system and know where to get help.
Summary
There are many different ways that grief can occur and many different ways that you can help someone deal with it. No matter the situation, grief is not easy to overcome, but support from friends, family and professionals can make it more manageable.
If you are looking for ways to celebrate memories of a lost loved one and pet memorial ideas check out our older blog posts or contact our friendly and understanding team to discuss how to commission some memory jewellery in honour of your loved one. For example, we created our Robin Jewellery to remind you or your family that when robins are near, your loved one may be checking in on you and offering a sign of comfort
