Caregivers provide assistance to family members who are unable to care for themselves due to illness, disability, or ageing. They support their loved ones, such as spouses, adult children, siblings, or other relatives, emotionally, physically, and financially. While being a carer can be rewarding, it can also be difficult and stressful. Grief is an aspect of most carers' jobs. For a long time, carers' mental health and how they cope with grief have been neglected. Grief is a natural reaction to loss, such as the death of a loved one or a severe and long-term illness, but long-term sadness can have a serious negative impact on mental health.
Caregivers can experience two types of grief:
Anticipatory grief during their loved one's illness
Post-mortem grief
Grief's Stages
Psychologists have identified the stages of grief that most people go through over the years. A person goes through five stages of grief in general, and understanding these stages can help carers understand how to deal with grief.
The five stages of grief are as follows:
Denial: During this stage, the person is surprised and disbelieving about the occurrence of the loss. They may try to deny or ignore the reality of what has occurred.
Anger: During this stage, the person may feel hostility and bitterness towards the person or circumstances that caused the loss. These emotions can be directed at oneself or at others.
Bargaining: During this stage, the person feels a strong desire to make deals or reach agreements to undo or mitigate the effects of the loss. They may make a pledge or attempt to negotiate with higher-ranking officials or other individuals.
Depression: During this stage, the individual may experience intense sorrow, despair, and hopelessness. As a result, the person may withdraw from others and lose interest in activities they once enjoyed.
Acceptance: During this stage, the individual acknowledges and accepts the reality of the loss and seeks to find a way to move on with their life. This does not necessarily imply that the individual has fully recovered from the loss, but rather that they have learned to accept it and find meaning in their interactions.
Dealing With Grief
It is critical to understand how to deal with grief. To be in a better mental health position, the person experiencing trauma should understand how to deal with grief.
Recognize your emotions: Recognizing and accepting your emotions is one of the first steps in coping with grief. Many people believe they must be rigid and unwavering, but doing so may be detrimental to their mental health. Suppressing emotions can cause physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach problems, as well as feelings of anxiety, despair, and stress. It is acceptable to cry, be angry, or experience other emotions. Allowing yourself to feel your feelings is an important step in grieving.
Seek Help: When dealing with a stressful situation, it is critical to seek help. Help could come from anyone, including family, friends, or a counsellor. Individuals feel more at ease when they talk to others.
Positive Thinking:While grieving can be a painful and exhausting experience, it is critical to remember the good times and memories you shared with the person you were caring for. Reflecting on the good times can help you grieve your loss and find solace in the midst of your sadness.
Conclusion
We must prioritise carers' mental health. Grief is a natural and complex emotion, and it is normal to experience a range of emotions as you cope with your loss. With the help of others and by taking care of yourself, you can overcome the difficulties of grief and find a way forward.
Get in touch with Solh Wellness if you're dealing with grief and looking for outside help. Solh Wellness provides personalised mental health solutions based on the needs of the individual. This week on Solh Talks, we have Asha Devi on a special segment (mother of Nirbhaya). A heartbreaking talk about her life lessons learned after the death of her daughter and how she copes with grief.
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