Not a Grief Friendly Culture

Grief is not something most Americans handle well. So many adages people use around losses feel so unhelpful, even when you think they have good intentions.  Just when you need friends or people to just be around, many people get uncomfortable or are less available.

Stressed Family Relations

Family members who are also struggling with grief, might become more difficult; especially if the death was sudden. Unexpected things might have happened that family members were not ready for, did not know how to handle, or didn’t communicate well. Often, death is not planned or prepared for, or brings up issues around favoritism that family members must now deal with head on. Sometimes the additional tasks that accompany death or big changes, bring up even more things to process, or just feel like too much.

Need help coping

We might also be more touchy, or communication with family members might have always been hard, but now there are shared tasks to perform together. The stages of grief can be harder to get through than you imagined. Suddenly you understand their presence too well and they are having too much of an effect. Many people going through grief do not want to feel like a downer to their friends or loved ones, or do not have anyone who can relate.

If you are struggling with grief after someone or something significant to you is taken away, seeking some counseling could be very helpful to manage the grieving process.