Losing a spouse is life-changing. You no longer enjoy the activities that you once did. There is a lot of emotional pain in your mind and body. Often times, you can’t sleep. When you do fall asleep, you are crying and missing your spouse terribly. When grief is with you, you might feel very sad. You might not even want to eat and have lost your appetite entirely. Or, you might feel binge eating episodes, where you eat a lot of food all at once. Overall, the feeling of grief and the feeling of loss are important to listen to. You can work with a grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT to support you in adjusting to your new life.
Mourning the loss of a spouse means that you might also feel numb at times.
It is okay to feel shocked, like this is a surprise, and fearful of the future. Remember, mourning the loss of your spouse is all about expressing your emotions. Don’t hold back tears. Overall, you can express your feelings of grief by making sounds, moaning, and crying. As well, you can work with a holistic therapist to express the emotional pain that you are feeling about the loss of your spouse. Now, a person of any age can lose their spouse. And, grief impacts each person differently. Remember, the feeling of grief might take your whole lifetime to process. But, each time you let yourself feel the grief and loss, you are making a step in the right direction.
Symptoms of grief and loss
The feeling of loss can bring problems with thinking and concentration and even make things that once were easy, very hard. Sometimes, people who have a spouse that die, feel angry at their dead spouse. They might not have gotten their affairs in order before their death, which leaves you feeling angry. You might also feel angry at your spouse simply for leaving you as a survivor. No matter what you feel, your feelings are okay and acceptable. Working with a holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT helps you process these intense feelings. In addition, it will be important for you to find a new support system.
To start, click the button below to work with a holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT.
How to begin creating a support system with your holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT helps?
The person that you miss on is no longer here. So, your new support system can help you overcome this loss. Yes, you may miss your spouse on a daily basis. However, being around other people can lessen your emotional pain for short periods of time. As well, being around other people can help you think positively about your future and give you hope.
Is it okay to feel happy when mourning the loss of my spouse?
Remember, it is normal to feel guilty for enjoying your life after your spouse has died. Some people feel guilty for spending time with friends or laughing, even. Remember, your spouse who has passed away would want you to enjoy your life. And, they would want you to go on and be happy with your friends. In order to develop and maintain a support system, you might enjoy support groups. Working with a holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT helps navigate finding a support group. Sometimes, hospitals and churches will offer grief and support groups.
How to use your support system when morning the death of a spouse?
In addition, it is important to recognize if your grief and loss is getting worse, and to reach out to your support system. Remember, not everyone in your support system will support you in the same way. Know what type of support you need in the moment, and reach out to that specific friend. For instance, if you want a friend who will let you hug them and cry, reach out to a comforting friend. Now, if you have another friend that will work out or go to yoga with you, when you want to be active and motivated, hang out with that friend.
To begin, click the button below for a phone consult for emotional support through grief and loss counseling.
Remember, find a support system that allows you to grieve the loss of your spouse openly and express yourself.
So, don’t let your friends tell you that you have been grieving too long or too much. Coping with the death of your spouse can be a process that takes months or years for a some. With out healthy coping tools, you may turn to alcohol, drugs, or reckless behaviors. Sometimes, adults who don’t get therapy end up severely depressed or battling suicidal thinking. In general, working with a therapist helps you practice self-care strategies. Therefore, having a holistic therapist on your side supports you in nurturing yourself through sleep, food, and exercise during this adjustment to loss.
Seek a creative, expressive, holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT
Overall, working with a holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT helps can help you manage the different emotions that come up. You can more fully mourn death and process your life experiences. As well, working with an individual therapist can help you pinpoint your unique stressors and triggers for grief. For instance, the sound of breathing might remind you of your spouse sleeping next to you. And, you cry when you think of the sound of your spouse’s breathing. So, whenever you hear someone take a deep breath in, during your day, you immediately break into tears and feel loss. Working with a therapist can help you overcome these unique triggers for your loss and feel calm.
Holistic grief and loss counseling can help you find a sense of humor, joy, and hope in starting a new life without your spouse.
It might seem like the hardest thing to do to move forward without your spouse on this earth. However, your holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT can help you talk about the life you and your spouse had together and learn to accept death. There may be other deaths that you have not grieved in your life. And, you can talk about these unresolved losses with your therapist too. Sometimes, a person loses a child, a sibling, and a spouse all within a few months.
How can holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT help me with my sadness and cope in healthy ways?
The stress of sudden death can be a lot on a person. Remember, holistic grief and loss therapy in Greenwich, CT can help you develop outlets for the big, intense feelings you are having. As well, when you feel upset, holistic therapy can make eating well easier. Often, loss and sadness make exercising, eating and sleeping really challenging. Working with a grief and loss counselor can help you find enjoyment again such as going to the movies, reading a good book, or doing yoga. You and your holistic therapist can team up to adjust to life without your spouse. As well, you and your holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT can talk about the various emotions that come with grief and loss such as anger, sadness, and anxiety.
Find spiritual connection
Overcoming grief and loss means connecting with the spiritual world. Many times, if you have lost your spouse, connecting to the spiritual world can provide you a sense of hope and connection. Even though your spouse is no longer physically on this earth, you might see a red cardinal and imagine your spouse is right there next to you.
As well, in your process of grieving, connecting to the spiritual world can help you keep your spouse’s energy alive.
Sometimes, people see a penny on the cement and believe that is their spouse giving them a message from the spiritual world. Other times, if you and your spouse picked dandelions together, seeing a dandelion growing out of the grass can provide you comfort from the spiritual world. To add, you and your holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT can work together to see if there is a way for you to connect to the spiritual world for a sense of hope.
When you are grieving the loss of your spouse, make sure to continue eating
When going through the loss of a spouse, a lot of people stop eating or develop binge eating disorder. Now, you might have lost your appetite because you have lost a very important person in your life. However, it is important to take good care of yourself. Often, grief and loss experiences can leave you feeling mentally unstable and sluggish. So, eating regularly will help you gain back mental stability. You might not want to cook a meal, but you can go to your local grocery store and pick something up. Go to the prepared food section and buy cantaloupe that is already cut up and a sandwich from the deli that is already made.
Essentially, eating regularly will help you develop better self-care habits to overcome the intense emotions you are feeling.
Remember, eating is going to help you overcoming the grief and loss. Remember, if you don’t want to eat alone, it is okay to invite friends over for your meals. Sometimes, eating alone is a trigger for less appetite. So, text or call your friend invite them over to join you for dinner or lunch. As well, see if your friends can bring you over some homemade casseroles so you can easily continue to eat throughout the week.
To start, click the button below for a phone consult to work with a holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT for help adjusting to the loss of your spouse.
What is it like after the death of a spouse?
Frequently, after the death of your spouse, there is an adjustment period. Normally, spouses divvy up responsibilities and household chores. So, you might need to make a list of the logistical household tasks that they completed regularly. As well, you might need to get help from a neighbor during this time.
Create a feeling of safety when mourning your spouse’s loss
As well, being alone might lead you to feel more unsafe. Being lonely can be very scary as well as feeling loss. So, you can install outdoor cameras that you can check by using an app on your phone to help you feel safe.
How can a holistic grief and loss therapist in Greenwich, CT support activity and a healthy lifestyle?
So, these are some things that you can do to schedule your day and stay active. For instance, you can take a singing lesson, join a bowling league, offer to help your neighbor with her gardening, or join a local yoga class. As well, join your local parks and recreation department, or local senior center. Remember, reach out to family and friends during this time of loss. And, try to spend an hour on the phone with someone every day for laughter and support. As well, visiting your local library is always a great way to spend your time. Libraries have workshops and presentations regularly. To add, find a companion, and adopt a dog or a cat from your local Humane Society. Getting a small dog can help you get outside for a walk every day and get sunshine.
What are next steps when mourning the death of your spouse?
Remember, after losing your spouse, you will need to make more of an effort to write down and schedule weekly plans for yourself. Losing a spouse might make you want to get your will or affairs in order. For instance, set a beneficiary for yourself and make any changes to your health insurance. Additionally, certain family members might be reaching out to you to ask for your spouse’s belongings. At Wisdom Within Counseling, the team of therapist can help you slow down big decisions.
How to manage family members asking for your spouse’s items?
With your therapist, you can talk about which items you plan on keeping, and which items you want to give away. Sometimes, you might want to sleep with a shirt that your spouse wore regularly as part of your grieving and morning process. Other times, you might not want to touch anything and leave it exactly the way your spouse left it. It might be hard to think about giving away any of your spouse’s items to their family members. So, bring these challenges and frustrations to your counseling appointments. Remember, it is okay to go at your own pace through your grief and loss process. Working with a holistic grief and loss therapist can help you identify what you would like to keep and what you would like to give away. You might like to keep a book that you read together. Or, you might want to give your grandchildren a picture of your spouse.
And, working with a holistic therapist can help you overcome this major life change with confidence, and emotional support.
If you are struggling with grief and loss due to losing your spouse, you are not alone. It is oksy to cry. A lot of times, when people are grieving, they don’t think clearly. So, having a holistic therapist on your team, can help you take good care of yourself during this major loss in your life. Your holistic therapist can assist you in remembering your spouse while moving on and adjusting to loss.
At Wisdom Within Counseling, the team of therapists can help you develop positive coping tools to deal with loss and grief.
As well, your holistic therapist can help you develop meaning from the life you and your spouse shared together, while developing new relationships with friends and family for support. In holistic counseling, you can pick from painting, drama therapies, art, yoga, music, and outdoor walking therapies. As well, the team at Wisdom Within Counseling offer video therapy sessions and phone sessions.
