Grieving Is Active: We Need Not Be HelplessHelpless
Bereavement happens to us. Bereave means “to deprive, to dispossess or strip from.” Our most wrenching experience is losing someone close to us through death. The lack of choices makes us feel that the world is out of control and that we are powerless to influence major events in our lives. Grief holds a prominent place in our lives as survivors, but it is only a part of what we experience and do. Grieving as coping requires that we respond actively, invest energy, and address tasks. The emotion of grief is a complex experience, combining elements of belief, disposition, pain and anguish. We can support others as they use coping capacities that work well for them. Respecting their individuality requires that we enable them to remain in character and cope on their own terms and in their own ways.
Keywords: grief, emotions, coping capacities, individuality, choice
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