Coping With Grief: Grief Counseling in Pennsylvania Can Help
Many people see the holiday season as a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness.
However, for many, it can be a poignant reminder of loss, unmet expectations, and the absence of loved ones. In a recent episode of Reclaim You, Sarah and Casey have a discussion about grief during the holiday season.
Acknowledging the Pain of Grief
The hosts open up the conversation by acknowledging the authenticity of the pain that can surface during the holidays. Sarah and Casey, who specialize in trauma, grief, disordered eating, and body image, explore the various forms grief can take. They explore common sources of sadness, such as losing pets, having high expectations, and feeling pressured by society.
Sharing Personal Experiences
Casey shares her personal experience of decorating her Christmas tree and the emotions stirred by the ornaments that hold memories of her cat who she lost earlier this year. Sarah reciprocates, sharing her experience with grief as she unpacks ornaments that once represented cherished moments with her chocolate lab, lost in August.
Normalizing Grief
The hosts emphasize the normalcy of grief as a human response to loss. They challenge societal norms that often dictate how grief should be expressed and they remind listeners that everyone experiences and processes grief differently. Recognizing and accepting all types of sadness provides a supportive environment for people to acknowledge their emotions. This includes missing a loved one at Christmas, struggling with money, or finding ways to cope.
The Holiday Season as a Trigger
This episode discusses how the holiday season can cause sadness in people. It also emphasizes the pressure to appear happy and participate in celebrations. The hosts talk about how not meeting expectations, money problems, missing loved ones, and idealized holidays can make grief feel worse this time of year. They encourage listeners to redefine what feels authentic and meaningful to them during this time.
8 Tips and Strategies to cope with grief
Coping with grief around the holidays can be an especially challenging journey, particularly for those who have experienced trauma.
The holiday season has a unique way of bringing forth memories, emotions, and expectations that may feel overwhelming. If you or someone you know is dreading the holidays or Christmas missing someone, here are strategies to cope with grief this holiday season.
1. Acknowledge Your Feelings
The first step in coping with grief around the holidays is to acknowledge and validate your feelings. It's okay to feel a range of emotions, and trauma can magnify these feelings, making them more intense. Take the time to sit with your emotions without judgment, recognizing that they are valid. It's crucial to give yourself permission to grieve the loss or trauma you have experienced.
2. Set Boundaries
The holiday season often comes with numerous social obligations and gatherings. While connecting with loved ones feels essential, setting boundaries is equally important to protect your emotional well-being. If certain events or traditions feel overwhelming, give yourself permission to say no or limit your participation. Communicate your needs with empathy and understanding, prioritizing self-care during this time.
3. Create New Traditions
The holiday season can starkly remind us of what we have lost. Consider creating new traditions that honor both the past and the present.
Light a candle, volunteer, or do comforting activities to remember or honor the legacy of a loved one. This can bring more meaning to your holidays. By starting new traditions, you can find ways to navigate the holidays that are supportive and make new meaning.
4. Find Support
Grief often leads to feelings of isolation, and during the holiday season, seeking support is crucial. Connect with trusted friends, family members, or mental health professionals who understand and empathize with your experience. Whether through a support group, therapy, or reaching out to a friend, remember that you don't have to navigate your grief alone.
5. Practice Self-Compassion
Be gentle with yourself as you navigate the holiday season.
Trauma takes a toll on emotional and physical well-being. Self compassion is always an important skill to lean on in times of stress, especially when you are missing a loved one during the holidays.
Focus on activities that make you feel good, like going for a walk, being creative, or taking a break. Healing from trauma and grief is a process, and it's okay to take things one step at a time. If your are grieving remember loved ones at Christmas can be difficult. Give yourself grace, you deserve it.
6. Focus on Meaningful Connections
Instead of succumbing to the commercialism and busyness of the holiday season, prioritize cultivating meaningful connections. Deep conversations, acts of kindness, and spending time with those who uplift your spirits can provide warmth and support throughout the season. By prioritizing authentic connections, you can find moments of joy and connection amidst the grief.
7. Reflect on Your Resilience
As you navigate the holiday season, take time to reflect on your growth and resilience in the face of trauma. Acknowledge the strength and courage it takes to move through grief, celebrating the progress made in reclaiming you while navigating holidays missing loved ones. Recognize your adaptation and growth, honoring your resilience as you move forward.
8. Consider working with a professional who provides grief therapy in Pennsylvania, or grief counseling in Pennsylvania.
If grief and trauma feel overwhelming, working with a grief therapist near me can support you in navigating the holiday season and coping with your loss, or your trauma symptoms.
Grief and trauma therapy provides space to begin to safely feel your emotions, develop coping skills, and explore ways to find meaning and hope during the holiday season.
If you’re in the throes of grief this holiday season, we want you to know that you are deserving of support.
No matter what the loss, your suffering, your experience in this season, is valid.
Our team provides grief counseling in Pennsylvania for folks who have experienced loss, or who have experienced trauma. We are sending compassion and holding hope for glimmer of hope not only this season, but whatever season is next.
🧡,
Reclaim Therapy is a trauma therapy practice specializing in eating disorder treatment in Pennsylvania, grief counseling in Pennsylvania and EMDR Therapy.
Our team of EMDR and trauma therapists believe in your inherent right to reclaim YOU from the impact of overwhelming life experiences.