Good Grief

This week’s tip is to get you thinking about the ways that you’ve experienced loss. The most clear way is through the death or someone close to you. There are also other ways to experience loss that are equally important to be acknowledged. These are called symbolic losses, and can include the loss of a significant relationship, incarceration, the loss associated with a physical health issue (loss of mobility, vitality, energy, etc), the loss of what your future might have been, etc. The possibilities are endless. 

There are also secondary losses that come with death. Those include the loss of income or financial security, the loss of life purpose or hopes for the future, loss of faith, loss of relational identity (no longer a partner/sibling/child), and loss of goals/dreams that involved the person.

Start thinking about the ways you’ve experienced loss that might not be so obvious. Be well.