Grief And Loss - Transform The Pain

“I remember when I was in high school I lost a friend to a car accident very unexpectedly and suddenly my world had shifted and everything that I knew to be real felt as though it has changed. The journey of grief may be long and complex but with the right support I managed to come to terms with my loss” – Rishabh, 19

Let us for a moment consider what it might feel like to lose someone or something that we care about deeply. A change in our way of life, moving cities or relocating to a new country can be a scary, unsettling experience for some. At that moment, we might be gripped with a sudden sense of loneliness, or a feeling of futility, the thought that nothing holds meaning anymore. Such experiences of grief are more commonplace than we imagine, however, these experiences are also most often unique to an individual. The question then, is how do we live, learn and move on from loss?

We too, like Rishabh, may experience a vast array of emotions, and exhibit erratic behaviour when dealing or coping with loss. The profusion of emotions results in some uncharacteristic behaviour like anger, mood swings, loss of motivation, confusion, indulging in risk-taking behaviour, overeating, loss of appetite, over-sleeping or insomnia. The unlikely behaviour is an attempt to feel better, to regain some semblance of control or sometimes to distract ourselves from the real cause of pain.

Grief is not our enemy nor does it try to bring us down; in fact, it is the opposite, it is the beginning of healing, a process that brings closure.

Adolescence is challenging stage of life for any young adult, be it the pressure to excel in academics, formulating one’s own identity, developing a realistic body image and add to that an array of issues that are experienced both psychologically and physiologically. The whirlpool of emotions, without sensitive and sensible care or support, can take one down a rabbit hole. Grief is not our enemy nor does it try to bring us down; in fact, it is the opposite, it is the beginning of healing, a process that brings closure and acceptance before we move on. As you embark on that journey, it can be extremely stressful especially having to deal with the roller coaster of emotions and feelings but with the help of CBT and therapy discovering your own strengths and gifts to overcome this painful ordeal would bring closure.