Grief

By: Alexia Cabreras, MS, LPC Associate Supervised by Melissa Barton, MA, LPC-S Grief makes me think of Voldemort, you know, from Harry Potter? Throughout the movies, they always say, "he who shall not be named"... that's what grief is like. People hate having to talk about it, but yes I know why…we associate grief to death and that can be a topic many aren't ready to talk about. The reality is grief is far beyond the feeling you go through when someone dies! I know this may sound a little confusing but let me explain it better throughout this Blog!

What is Grief?

Grief is "the experience of coping with loss". The thing about grief, as I mentioned earlier, is that it isn't only about losing someone to death. In retrospect, yes people die, but so do many other things in our life! Friendships die, memories die, relationships die, dreams and goals die, and so many different things in our lives are lost.

An Example of Grief

As we grow and begin to think about what we want to do with our lives, we envision certain things for ourselves whether that be certain careers, certain relationships, etc. When your young and unaware, it all seems so easy, but the reality is, as we grow, we realize that many of the things we wanted are not going to happen in our life, this can be a really hard pill to swallow for many, accepting that life won't be what we once dreamt off. This is not to say your life won't be what you wanted, because it may, but for many it isn't and grieving those dreams and hopes is a loss that must be worked through.

The Stages of Grief

No matter what we are grieving, we all share similar experiences through different stages associated with processing the grief. Before I go into the five stages of grief, it's important for me to acknowledge that the grieving process is NOT linear! Many times, it's out of order and, many times, a circular process. You don't always go through it once only. Many people experience these stages throughout different periods of their lives, sometimes multiple times.

Denial

When we lose something, it's normal to be in denial about it. Carrying on as if nothing happened is a way for us to cope with our emotions without having to accept the reality of life. When something is too hard to believe, we protect ourselves by ignoring it till it bites us back.

Anger

Feeling different levels of anger is also very much normal. Life can feel unfair, and you may even question everything going on by asking yourself things such as, "Why me!?", "What did I do!?".

Bargaining

During this stage, you may find that you constantly negotiate with yourself or a higher power. This often looks like you are trying to regain control of the situation and asking multiple, "what if…" questions.

Depression

Sadness is one of the most common, long-lasting signs of grief. As a professional, I can say the sadness that comes with grief may never go away, or at least it may feel like it never does, but you learn to live life differently as the feelings begin to decrease.

Acceptance

Throughout time, all these feelings become less intense making it easier to move forward with. Life carries on and through professional help, you can heal and accept every situation as is.

Moving on

Moving on at first may sound like something you may never be able to accomplish but trust me, it gets easier with time! You may not have experienced grief yet, but one day you may and it's important to remember that grief goes far beyond just the death of a loved one. Like I said from the start, many things in our lives die, but don't let this stop you from creating new dreams and goals or finding new meaning.

Begin Therapy for Grief in Katy, TX!

If you are struggling with grief, one of the therapists at The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch can help! We provide mental health counseling, as well as other mental health services. To begin counseling in Katy, TX follow these three steps:

• Contact our office to set up an appointment or to learn more information
• Meet with one of our knowledgeable therapists
• Find ways to thrive through therapy today!

Other Therapy Services We Offer: 

Here at The Counseling Center at Cinco Ranch, we offer counseling services for people of all ages in areas including counseling for kids, counseling for young adults, teen counseling, couples counseling, eating disorder treatment, men's issues, women's issues, anxiety treatment, depression therapy, trauma counseling, family therapy, and group counseling. Our therapists strive to post blogs regularly. We provide helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. To learn more about our therapists and our counseling services, please reach out to the Counseling Center today!