You might experience waves of grief that come and go and vary in intensity.
In other cases, a trigger may cause your grief to hit you suddenly all at once.
What Triggers Delayed Grief?
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When you experience delayed grief, you get stuck in that denial stage.
This can mean you might be left with unresolved feelings and complications that make it harder to heal.
By delaying grief, people can suppress or dampen the difficult emotions they would normally experience.
Confronting these feelings isn’t easy.
Delayed grief can sometimes stem from difficulty dealing with such complex emotional struggles.
By staying in the denial stage, people dont have to face their feelings of regret.
Other Factors
Personality traits, poor coping mechanisms, and poorsocial supportmight also contribute to delayed grief.
The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies how situational factors can contribute to delayed grief.
Signs and Symptoms of Delayed Grief
People don’t experience delayed grief in the same way.
Somesigns and symptomsyou might experience can be emotional and physical.
Delayed grief does not follow a specific timeline.
Grieving is a normal process, but it is unique to everyone.
Grief can resurface at different points in your life, such as in response to reminders or anniversaries.
It is characterized by disruptive symptoms of grief that persist for a year or longer following a death.
Coping Strategies for Delayed Grief
Delayed grief can have significant effects on mental health.
A therapist or counselor can help you process your feelings of delayed grief.
This is particularly true, she explains, if grief is traumatic.
The good news is, she suggests, is that it’s not necessarily healthy or unhealthy.
If someone is experiencing delayed grief, Lev suggests that the healthiest approach is often to trust their defenses.
The problem is when this defense mechanism gets carried over into other areas of your life.
That’s where therapy can be helpful.
For example, look for signs like changes in appetite, sleep habits, demeanor, and social activities.
Don’t pressure them to feel a certain way or suggest that the emotions they are experiencing are wrong.
Instead, acknowledge and validate what they feel and their experience with loss.
Let them know that you are there to listen to anything they have to share.
Keep reaching out and let them know that you are there to help.
Everyone’s grief is different.
This process often involves taking time for self-reflection and cultivating a mindset ofgratitude.
Work on being kind to yourself.
You’ve endured something difficult, so treat yourself with the samecompassionyou might show a good friend.
Allow yourself to embrace your future while still looking for meaningful ways to honor the person you have lost.
Delayed grief can serve as a coping tool to help people keep functioning without becoming overwhelmed.
You dont have to do it alone.
If your grief is overwhelming, delayed, or prolonged, talk to a mental health professional.
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