The following is a list of appropriate expectations that you can have in grief. Evaluate yourself on each one and see if you are maintaining realistic expectations for yourself. You can expect that: Your grief will take longer than most people think.Your grief will take more energy than you would have ever imagined.Your grief will… Continue reading Appropriate Expectations You Can Have for Yourself in Grief
Tag: suicide bereavement group
All Grief is Experienced at 100%
Excerpt from Grief Recovery We frequently cite the ancient proverb, “I was unhappy about having no shoes until I met the man who had no feet,” to introduce the dangerous issue of comparison as it relates to grief. Using the proverb as a guide, if you have 10 people in a room, and you start… Continue reading All Grief is Experienced at 100%
Survivor’s Guilt
Guilt is the one negative emotion that seems to be universal to all survivors of suicide, and overcoming it is perhaps our greatest obstacle on the path to healing. Guilt is your worst enemy because it is a false accusation. You are not responsible for your loved one’s suicide in any way, shape, or form.… Continue reading Survivor’s Guilt
Getting Unstuck by Naming Your Emotions
In our survivor group, we hand out a support packet that includes a sheet with simplistic faces expressing emotions. In my second year as a suicide loss survivor, I shared with the group that the emotion I felt most often was not on the sheet--I felt indifferent and stuck in that emotion. A fellow survivor… Continue reading Getting Unstuck by Naming Your Emotions
Forgiveness
If we don't forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and others for the wounds they have inflicted upon us, we end up crippled with guilt.