Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:
- Understand why losses can blur together.
- Learn ways to give each loss its own space.
- Honor relationships individually.
- Accept that grief may come in any order.
Lesson
Losses that blur
When losses come fast, people may grieve them as one mass of pain, or focus on one and set the others aside. Some losses may not be grieved at all until much later.
Giving each loss space
It can help to name each loss separately, remember each person or thing for who or what it was, and set aside small moments for each one. This does not need to happen all at once.
Any order is okay
Grief does not need to follow the order losses happened. A later loss may bring up an earlier one. Following what comes up, gently, is okay.
GGN practiceOne loss at a time (about 15 minutes)
Choose one loss from your timeline. Write a few lines about who or what was lost and one memory. Another day, choose a different loss. If this brings up pain, pause and reach out to someone you trust, or call or text 988.
Fictional storyFictional Story 3.1: The forgotten loss
After her father and then her husband died, Ama realized she had never grieved her dog, who died the same month. One evening, looking at an old photo, she cried for her dog for the first time.
Questions to consider:
- Why might this loss have been set aside?
- What does Ama's experience show?
Discussion: With bigger losses at the same time, Ama had no space for her dog. Her experience shows that grief can arrive later and that each loss deserves recognition.
Reflection Prompts
- Which of your losses have blurred together?
- Which might you have set aside?
- How can you give each one space?