The loss of a loved one can present an overwhelming influx of emotions. Whilst trying to come to terms with your loss and cope with the realisation that that person is no longer present in your life, our emotional, mental and physical health can also suffer as a consequence.
The aching moments following a person’s death are to be expected and time can be required as you heal from their passing. The symptoms associated with grief are vast and can appear sporadically in the following months after a bereavement. The healing process should then begin as well as small improvements in our physical and mental wellbeing overtime. However, for some, the slow release from grief is not the case.
Relentless and unbearable suffering over an extensive period follow a passing may be a sign that now is the time to seek support and see a therapist.
What is on this page
When is the time to ask for help?
The grieving process will see many hardships and days of extreme lows. The thought of seeking help and / or advice can seem the last thing on our mind. At the Leone Centre we feel that anyone and everyone who has lost a loved one can benefit from seeing a GP, joining a support group or talking to a therapist.
See the below indicators that suggest now is the time to get support.
- Feeling that you have no one to talk to who could possibly begin to understand what you’re going through – feeling alone can build resentment and frustration towards friends and family who want to be there for you.
- Overwhelming sensations of guilt and that your loved one’s death is all your fault.
- When grief is affecting your everyday life and regular routine such as going to work, leaving the house, appetite, sleeping patterns.
- When grief brings you ‘down’ consistently, more and more, with every passing day for months on end with little or no experience of ease or feeling better.
- Experimenting with or becoming reliant on unhealthy substances or developing habits such as alcohol, sex, drugs, gambling or even spending money.
- Continuous ill health including headaches, cold, flu, aches, pains, and changes in sleeping and / or eating habits.
- Experiencing a stir up of pre-existing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, self-esteem, mood swings, and / or past trauma due to a bereavement.
- Having dark thoughts and considering suicide, self-harm or harming others.
It’s Never Too Late
It is never too late to seek bereavement counselling. It is a common part of the grieving process for friends and family to cope with loosing someone and begin to proceed with their lives only for the feelings associated with grief to return at a later stage.
Thoughts, feelings and processes linked with a bereavement returning at later stages can be triggered by events and occasions that prompt past memories of loves ones, including Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries.
New events can cause friends and family members to wish that particular person was there in that moment to enjoy it with them, such as new additions to the family, weddings and graduations.
Some may even feel guilt or sadness when making new memories that had been a dream or goal for their loved one. These moments can be as little as getting a new pet, to moving home or going on holidays to specific locations.
There is no correct way to grieve and it is essential that your feelings are felt, accepted and supported, no matter when or how your feelings arise.
How will Therapy help me?
See the below benefits of seeing a grief counsellor / therapist. Therapy sessions can include individual, couples and family therapy sessions. This can be for those needing help and for those who would like to attend in support.
- Provide a safe place to express your thoughts and feelings.
- Overcome past mental health issues triggered by grief.
- Help you to feel less alone.
- Allow understanding of how your loss has impacted you and why.
- Begin the process of acceptance.
- Start the process of moving forward.
- Improve close relationships with friends and family.
- Implement better communication skills with those around you who are also grieving.
- Introduce ways to honour and celebrate your loved one’s lives.
- Set new plans and goals for your own life.
Get in Touch
At the Leone Centre we have therapists skilled to support you through your bereavement. The loss of a loved one can be incredibly lonely, and talking to a therapist is often the first big step in moving forward with your life after the loss of someone you love.
At Leone Centre we can provide in-person counselling sessions via our offices in Fulham and Kensington, as well as online counselling via Zoom. Call us now on 0203 930 1007 or alternatively click on the Leone Centre scheduling link.