WALKING THROUGH GRIEF

Betty Dillingham, ACSW, LCSW

Gibson General Hospital

Senior Enrichment Program

at Hope House

Princeton, IN

(812-385-9287)

bdillingham@gibsongeneral.com

LEARNER OBJECTIVES:

1. BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT TO EXPECT DURING GRIEF

2. BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO COPE WITH THE PAIN OF GRIEF

WHAT IS GRIEF?

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING GRIEF

What is Normal?

• Eating and sleeping patterns are disrupted• Inability to concentrate• Roller coaster emotions• Shift in role• Responses of others

EATING AND SLEEPING PATTERNS

• Eating too much or not enough• Dehydration• Sleeping too much or not enough• Flashbacks• Dreaming/nightmares

INABILITY TO CONCENTRATE

• Cannot focus on what is being said or read• Not seeing

ROLLER COASTER EMOTIONS

• Disbelief• Feelings of going

crazy• Sadness• Emptiness• Regret• Guilt• Loneliness

• Anxiety• Crying/inability to cry• Anger• Upsurges of grief• Relief

PHYSICAL ACHES/PAINS

• Aches: stomach, head, neck, back• Unexplained pains throughout body

SHIFT IN ROLE

• Becoming the primary breadwinner (financial woes)

• Emotional conflict (who will I turn to ?)• Family responsibilities• Household responsibilities• Change in place of residence• We to me

RESPONSES OF OTHERS

• People being overly protective (bossy)• People minimizing a person’s loss• People stating or implying that a person has

grieved long enough (It is time to move on, get over it)

WAYS TO COPE WITH GRIEF

• Turn into the pain

• Look at beliefs• Move away from asking why

• Avoid isolation• Seek out caring people• Avoid making major life

changes• Allow for time between

endings and new beginnings

• Be attentive to health• Be patient with self and

others• Look for a “corner turning”• Seek professional help• Create a new relationship

with the loved one

Resource Acknowledgements

• The Journey of Grief series, Doug Manning, In-Sight Books,Inc. Oklahoma City, OK

• Taking the Time You Need to Grieve Your Loss, Kathlyn S. Baldwin, LCSW, Care Notes, Abbey Press, St. Meinrad, IN

Resources (cont.)

• Motherless Daughters, The Legacy of Loss By Hope Edelman A Delta Book, Published by Dell Publishing New York, NY