5 Tips for Dealing with Loss & Overcoming Grief in Michigan

Most of us will face dealing with loss multiple times throughout our lives. Overcoming grief is often associated with the death of a loved one or loss of a partner through breakup or divorce. But other losses can cause grieving as well. Loss of a meaningful job, having a child develop a life-changing disability, or moving away can profoundly affect your life and cause grief.

As difficult as it may seem when dealing with loss, overcoming grief is possible. Grief counseling in Michigan can support and show you how to overcome the loss. The following tips will also help you through the process of overcoming grief.

How to move past grief

1.  Accept your feelings. There are no right or wrong feelings when dealing with loss. Grieving can bring about a myriad of emotions, which is a normal response and part of the healing process. The alternative is to deny or bury your feelings. Neither of these is healthy because subconsciously, those feelings will remain. As a result, unresolved grief can crop up down the road and in other areas of your life, and undermine your happiness, well-being, and relationships. So accept your feelings and allow yourself to experience them fully. Doing so will help you to process and work through your emotions and begin to heal.
2. Practice self-care. When dealing with loss, it’s easy to put taking care of yourself on the back burner. You may not feel like cooking healthy meals and be too fatigued to exercise. You may let doctor appointments slip. The last thing you may care about is how you look. As a result, you look and feel less healthy, which only serves to fuel your sadness and grief. No matter how down you may feel, prioritize self-care. Make a special effort to eat healthily, get daily exercise, and take time for grooming.
3. Take advantage of your support system. In overcoming grief, it’s essential to lean on family and friends. When dealing with loss, you may not feel very sociable. But your support system can bring you solace. It provides people who will listen to you without judgment and even the opportunity to reminisce about your loss. Supportive family and friends can also provide a distraction from your pain. Taking breaks from your sorrow is an essential ingredient in overcoming grief. Professional help, such as grief counseling in Michigan, can also provide you valuable support.
4. Try not to obsess. When you experience loss, your mind can become a broken record. It may try to convince you that you’ll never be able to move on. You may ruminate about unlikely, distressing scenarios. If you find yourself obsessing, try a thought-stopping technique. Allow yourself 15 minutes each day to obsess. At the end of 15 minutes, snap your fingers, or say ‘stop’ out loud. Outside of those 15 minutes, when you catch yourself obsessing or thinking negatively, immediately snap your fingers and get back to your day. If you need help overcoming obsessive thoughts, grief counseling in Michigan can help you resolve your negative thinking.
5. Allow yourself to feel happiness. When dealing with loss, particularly of a loved one, you may find it difficult to experience pleasure or feel guilty when you do. But experiencing joy and happiness is crucial to overcoming grief. So find at least a couple of ways to experience happiness each day. Take a walk in the park, watch your favorite sitcom or a funny video, listen to some upbeat music, or do something fun with a friend. Gradually, you’ll become more comfortable with experiencing happiness, which will help you in overcoming grief.

If you’d like to talk with a counselor, Landmark Therapy offers grief counseling in Michigan to anyone residing in the state. Counseling is available via online telehealth or at our Troy, Michigan counseling center. Give us a call today! (248) 931-0016