The Scary Subjects
Loss
We understand the general idea and at some point or another we have experienced this concept.
We lose keys, games, bets and arguments.
We lose nails, bobby pins, and chapsticks.
But also
We lose people.
We lose hope.
The current crisis is sweeping our nation, leaving us with feelings of anxiety, isolation and sadness and forcing us to normalize concepts of death and sickness. But it has also left many of us dealing with a less obvious feeling, existential loss: a loss of past ways of beings in the world. And no matter what the loss may be, whether your family is dealing with the death of a loved one, a loss of a job, the loss of a routine or the loss of your hopes and dreams, I want to emphasize that it is ok to grieve. And it is ok for you children to grieve, for your husband to grieve, for your wife to grieve, for you partner to grieve, for your family to grieve.
However, grief and loss are a scary subject. They can provoke an anxiety both when dealing with your feelings, as well as the feelings of others. The articles below can provide guidance and recommendations on how to work through and navigate this conversation, with ourselves, our children and the ones around us.
https://childmind.org/guide/helping-children-cope-grief/
https://whatsyourgrief.com/types-of-grief/
https://whatsyourgrief.com/loss-of-hopes-and-dreams/
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/26/820304899/coronavirus-has-upended-our-world-its-ok-to-grieve
-Emily Martin, MS
