Losing someone you love is one of life’s hardest experiences. Grief is a natural response to loss, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming and prolonged. Unfortunately, you can’t just flip ahead on your calendar and circle a date when you expect to be fully healed. Grief doesn’t work like that.
Feelings of emotional pain, sadness, and longing can persist and start to interfere with your daily life. When this happens, it can be diagnosed as a specific form of grief: complicated grief. Receiving this diagnosis on top of the grieving process can feel like too much to bear, but it can also be the first step toward healing. Here’s what you can do next after being diagnosed with complicated grief.
Understand the Diagnosis
The first step after being diagnosed with complicated grief, or any disorder, is to educate yourself. Complicated grief is not a sign of weakness or failure. This is a condition where the natural grieving process gets stuck due to the extent of the loss, traumatic circumstances, or other life stressors. Understanding that complicated grief is a recognized mental health condition can help reduce self-blame and encourage seeking the right help.
Build a Support Network
Lean on trusted family members, friends, or support groups during this time. You may even have a small group of friends who understand what you’re going through or who have experienced a loss of their own.
Talking openly about your loss and your feelings can help you feel a little less alone and isolated. Many people find comfort in peer support groups where others share similar experiences in an open, safe, and nonjudgmental environment.
Create Healthy Coping Strategies
It can be easy to turn to unhealthy coping strategies that help provide you with an immediate but short-term sense of relief during this time. Try not to do this. The healthier strategies are a much better alternative and more long-lasting than those quick fixes that can lead to worsening symptoms.
Sticking to a daily routine, taking care of yourself, and practicing self-care are important steps for you to move forward. This might include journaling, exercising, spending time outside in nature, or finding creative outlets, such as art or music. Grief can feel consuming, so incorporating moments of rest and joy, even small ones, can make all the difference.
Honor Your Loss
Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. Finding ways to honor the memory of the person or thing you lost can provide comfort and keep the connection alive in a healthy way. You can honor your lost loved one through rituals, storytelling, photo albums, or acts of kindness, for example. Healing means that you’re able to move forward while keeping their memory with you.
Be Patient, Gentle, and Compassionate with Yourself
Complicated grief takes time to work through all of the complex emotions. Some days will be harder than others. Being hard on yourself won’t make things any easier. In fact, it can actually do the opposite.
Remind yourself that healing is not about “moving on” but about learning to carry the loss differently and in a way that is sustainable and healthy. Progress may be slow, but every step counts and helps to move you in the right direction.
Consider Professional Guidance
Grief counseling can be an essential part of healing from complicated grief. Mental health professionals, especially those trained in grief work, such as grief counselors, psychologists, or specialized therapists, can guide you through the different emotions you’re experiencing and help you process your loss in a safe and secure space.
Sometimes, medication may be considered if symptoms of anxiety or depression are present. Working with a mental health professional can help you create a personalized grief treatment plan so you can work on healing together. Contact our team today to learn more about how we can help.
