Grief is not a singular event that happens only during bad times in our lives. Grief is a valid emotion of things we miss, things we wish we had back, things that are gone too soon. Many times the reason we are unable to let go of things in our lives is that we do not allow ourselves to grieve properly.
Grieving has a number of benefits, from boosting our mental and physical health to our spiritual health, improving our interpersonal relationships, and brightening our mood. We’ll go over some different types of grief and how allowing yourself to grieve properly can benefit your overall happiness.
Grieving the Loss of a Loved One
We often think of funerals and funeral services as a solemn and solely negative affair. The truth is, a funeral is an integral part of the grieving process of losing a loved one. It is one part saying the final goodbye to a person who is no longer here, and another part a final celebration of a life that was lived.
Many times we see people telling stories of happier times, sharing memories, anecdotes, and the love of the person who has passed. By allowing ourselves to remember the person who was lost, we allow ourselves to heal. Some even choose to hold a party or celebration when a loved one passes instead of the typical wake. Allowing ourselves to remember and feel is the way that we come closer to acceptance and ultimately happiness after a person has passed.
Grieving a Relationship
There is more than one type of loss, just as there is more than one type of grieving. Grieving after a relationship is common, though many do not do it the correct way and are unable to move on from the emotions that are holding them back from true happiness.
It is entirely okay to mourn a breakup. In fact, mourning the breakup, the feelings that it causes, and coming to terms with the end of the relationship is the first step to moving forward.
Love is a powerful emotion and one that can cause us to be stuck in a constant cycle of regret. The key to breaking the cycle of regret lies in identifying what is and accepting that what has happened cannot be changed. That is not to say that relationships cannot recover from mistakes. However, the important point is that when a relationship has reached its end, we are able to accept the situation for what it is and move forward.
Grieving Change
One type of grief that affects everyone is the grief of change. The inability to accept what is new and let go of what is old can lead to stagnation and unhappiness. Coping with change is essentially the same as coping with loss. Though not always the same as losing a loved one or a relationship, change is the embodiment of the new replacing the old.
Part of grieving change means recognizing what was lost and accepting that which has come along in its place. Once we are able to reconcile the two and accept the new, we will be on the path to grieving properly and becoming happy again.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the types of grief that we can experience. Every facet of life has the potential for grief. Learning the strategies to identify and move past our sadness and properly grieve these situations is the way that we find true happiness.
