Grieving the Death of a Loved One

Losing a loved one and grieving this loss is a complex and painful process. While you strive to come through the loss and learn to move ahead, some changes may occur temporarily and you feel different from the person you were. This might put pressure on your current relationships. Your loved ones and close friends may also face difficulty in handling the way you grieve and it might make them a little distant temporarily.

Everyone mourns in a different way and there is also a possibility that your close relations might also be bereaved due to the loss. It is necessary for you to realize that it can affect your relationship with your partner, family, spouse, or friends and thus these relations may change (Rosenblatt, 1988).

Sometimes, there can be positive changes as people re-unite around you. Many times, this may not be the case. All these changes are impacted mainly by personal stressors experienced by each individual as they try to cope with feelings associated with loss and grief.

The change in your relationships may be distressful and upsetting but you need to realize this as well that your close ones might also be experiencing the same. Your family and friends may also feel challenged likewise to accommodate your new needs and role, where previously you were the problem-solver, or the one everyone relied on has now changed. They might also feel disoriented and sometimes uncertain in the ways to handle you and adjusting to this can put a strain on your interpersonal dynamics (Stroebe et al., 2013).

Sources

Rosenblatt, P.C., 1988. Grief: The Social Context of Private Feelings. J. Soc. Issues 44, 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1988.tb02077.x

Stroebe, M., Finkenauer, C., Wijngaards-de Meij, L., Schut, H., van den Bout, J., Stroebe, W., 2013. Partner-Oriented Self-Regulation Among Bereaved Parents: The Costs of Holding in Grief for the Partner’s Sake. Psychol. Sci. 24, 395–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612457383