When faced with the death of a loved one and moving on in life after someone close to you has passed it can cause a lot of emotional turmoil. Dealing with your grief is a personal endeavor that family and friends might not be able to help you through. When this is the case you may ask yourself if you should be seeking grief counseling.
Some people are of the staunch belief that grief must be dealt with alone or unassisted. They think that it’s something that a person much work through. However, being able to live a full life after someone who made your life full passes, can be such a challenge. Working through your emotions alone isn’t always the answer.
When we are dealing with grief is can be easy to miss or not understand the signs that point to counseling. If you think that you or a friend or family member might benefit from grief counseling you may have witnessed a few of these signs with include
Significant weight loss- this indicates you or the person you are concerned for isn’t eating of getting the right nutrition.
Inability to stop crying- You are overcoming with sadness and can’t stop crying
Unable to concentrate- You can’t go about your normal routine because you can not concentrate on anything else.
Disrupted sleeping- If you have found that your sleeping patterns have changed or you can not sleep. Or perhaps you find yourself sleeping during the day when you normally wouldn’t
Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm- People who are grieving tend to have irrational and harmful thoughts about being ‘better off’ if they weren’t alive. Counseling can show you that your loved one wouldn’t want that for you.
Uncontrolled rage- Facing uncontrollable rage is entirely possible after the loss of a loved one. This rage can be the cause for more trouble and counseling is certainly needed
Others suggest counseling- You may not want to listen to friends or family during this time but if someone is suggesting grief counseling, it’s best to listen. Your friends and family have your best interests at heart.
Predicting our actions or feelings after a loved one has died is impossible. So is knowing how long it will take us to process through the stages of grief that will occur. However, there are some reasons why you would definitely want to seek help. For example, if your loved one was the person who cared for many aspects of your day to day life you may feel as if you don’t know who you are now, without them. If you are scared or feel alone.
When you fear you are going to hurt yourself and also don’t have anyone to turn to it can be a devastating position to be in. If you have or have lost children, it can be hard to explain death to them, but harder to deal with the death of a child. If you are dealing with any of these issues and wish to speak with a professional Dr. Yvonne Thomas can help. Dr. Yvonne Thomas has over 20 years of experience in counseling. If you would like to schedule an appointment you can do so online or by calling (310) 359-9450
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