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What is Bereavement and Grief?
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone or something that we hold dear to us. Grief is a completely natural reaction to this loss and might show up in your life in different ways, including as sadness or emotional pain. The grieving process takes us through a range of emotions that can often feel extremely painful and difficult to deal with.
There are many reasons why you might be going through grief. You might experience it from the loss of a loved one, a family pet, or the death of a public figure. It may also arise from experiences like a relationship breaking up, a dear friend moving away or losing your job.
While it’s completely natural to go through the grieving process, if you feel like you’ve been in deep emotional pain for a long time and it’s hurting your life, you could benefit from having a compassionate and experienced specialist to talk to. Perhaps you haven’t been able to return to work, or you aren’t able to care for yourself and others in the way you want to. It’s important to remember that everyone experiences grief differently. What happens for one person might not happen for another. Bereavement and grief are deeply personal experiences, and there are no rules for how you should go through them.
How Can Grief Affect You?
We are all completely unique, with our own rich inner worlds, and grief affects us in many different ways. Some people might feel sad for a very long time, impacting their ability to live life to the fullest. Others might feel completely numb and unable to engage in activities they used to enjoy. It’s a complex and unpredictable process that everyone goes through differently.
You may experience:
- Intense and constant sadness immediately following your bereavement, which may shift into waves of grief that seem to come out of nowhere.
- Intense grief that comes back some time after your bereavement. This is also called reawakened grief and is very common.
- Delayed grief that happens weeks, months or sometimes years after your bereavement. This usually happens because you couldn't grieve properly at the time for reasons such as having to look after others, or being incredibly busy at work.
Going through a bereavement can bring up lots of emotions that might feel really big and difficult to process. Having someone experienced to share your thoughts and feelings with can help with understanding what you are going through and how to move forward. With dedicated and compassionate support, recovering from loss is possible.
Grief and Mental Health
Grief can have a profound effect on your mental health. Prolonged periods of grieving may result in anxiety and depression, which can make the loss feel even more difficult to cope with. Knowing what you are going through can help you take the steps towards getting help and healing.
Symptoms of Grief
Physical symptoms
- Finding it hard to sleep, sleeping too much or feeling fear around going to sleep
- Changes in eating habits such as eating too much, not enough, or comfort eating
- Physical symptoms of anxiety such as panic attacks, nausea and racing heart
- Shortness of breath
- A sensation of heaviness or hollowness in your stomach
- Feeling very weak and fatigued
- A heavy or tight feeling in your chest
- Having a dry mouth a lot of the time
- Being sensitive to noise and other stimulation
- Increased body pain or headaches
Emotional symptoms
- Overwhelming feelings of sadness and crying
- Shock and emotional numbness
- Extreme tiredness and exhaustion
- Anger - potentially towards the person or thing you have lost
- Confusion and an inability to process what’s happened
- Guilt - potentially about something you did or didn’t say or do, or a feeling of blame towards others in your life which is difficult to manage
- Wanting to withdraw from other social contact
- Feeling extremely lonely
- Conflicting emotions around your loss that feel hard to understand
- Fear - perhaps that something similar may happen to you or that you may lose something or someone else in life again soon
When grieving the loss of someone close, it’s common to see, hear, or feel their presence even after they’ve passed. This is your brain's way of helping you process the loss. Some people find comfort in these experiences and may talk to their loved one, which is perfectly okay. However, if these experiences become distressing, it may be helpful to reach out for support. If your loved one passed away in a particularly traumatic way, you might also experience vivid memories or "flashbacks" of their death. In these situations, therapy can be especially beneficial to help you navigate these intense emotions and find ways to cope.
Grief and Anxiety
Going through loss and the grief that comes with it can make us feel extremely unsafe, anxious and out of control. It’s completely natural to feel worried about something happening to someone else or losing another thing that was important to you.
If you are finding that your feelings of anxiety, either physical or emotional, are not getting easier with time, then it’s a sign you need to reach out for some support through your grieving process. You don’t have to shoulder the grief and anxiety alone. We have many experienced specialists who can help you make sense of your situation during this incredibly distressing time.
Grief and Depression
Many people feel a lot of guilt around grief and depression — but you needn't. Feelings of depression are completely normal and are part of the grieving process. Some of the signs you could be experiencing depression alongside grief are difficulty with daily functioning, frequent crying, feelings of hopelessness and withdrawal from loved ones and social activities.
Our specialists are trained to spot signs of depression and help you make sense of why you are going through these difficult feelings. With committed and compassionate care, we help you through the grieving process, enabling you to live life fully again.
How to Cope With Grief
Grieving can make you feel alienated from yourself and those around you. With the right treatment and support through this difficult time, your symptoms can improve, and you’ll begin to feel more like yourself again. You don’t have to go through loss on your own.
Private Treatment for Grief in London and UK
We understand that the grieving process takes time and affects everyone differently. Healing from loss and bereavement can be a long journey and we are with you every step of the way. Our dedicated team has years of experience helping people just like you to feel better and more connected to themselves again.
We recognise that finding the right help and support is crucial to the healing process. At the London Psychiatry Clinic, we have many highly skilled specialists who can help you understand what you are going through.
Here’s what our treatment approach looks like:
- Creating a friendly and inviting environment is our top priority at the clinic. We want you to feel safe and secure enough to talk about any difficulties you are experiencing.
- We'll pair you with the most appropriate expert whose education and expertise complement your unique requirements.
- Before arranging an appointment, we can provide a free initial phone conversation. You can determine whether you feel comfortable chatting with your specialist after understanding what to expect.
- Your specialist will carry out a thorough assessment following the latest clinical guidelines.
- They will work with you to create a customised treatment plan. They'll talk over every treatment approach available to determine the best course of action.
Therapy For Grief and Loss
Therapy for grief and loss is a talking therapy often called bereavement counselling or grief counselling. It is a type of psychotherapy specifically designed to help you as you go through the stages of the grieving process.
Grief therapy provides you with a safe place to talk about and unpack your experiences with bereavement and loss. It’s a space in which you will be supported in your journey towards healing and understanding the complex emotions you are going through. It’s incredibly helpful to have someone to be able to say the things you might not want to say to family or friends, especially if they are grieving too.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Grief
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for grief is a type of therapy that aims to help you manage distressing feelings by understanding the thought patterns that might be contributing towards it. Becoming aware of potentially unhealthy thinking might help you shift your mindset towards healthier ways of relating to your loss.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) works on the thinking that it’s not only the actual experience of loss affecting us, it’s also our ability to accept what’s happened. Resisting the reality of loss can lead to more distressing feelings. ACT helps you to accept that going through stress, discomfort and emotional pain are necessary parts of the grieving process.
Find the best kind of treatment for grief and bereavement
Reaching out for help when you are grieving can feel like a really tough step and you’ve come so far already. You are only one phone call away from finding a specialist who can understand, empathise, and help you with what you are going through. Simply call us now, we are ready to listen and help you find the right support.
