The loss of a loved one can be one of the most devastating experiences that a person goes through in their life. Grief is very powerful and can affect a person’s physical and mental health if they are not able to process their grief and reach a point of acceptance. One of the most common issues associated with grief are psychological issues such as anxiety.
Grief and anxiety are actually very closely linked in most cases because the vulnerability that a person experiences after a loss often leads to anxiety. When someone passes away people are then faced with questions about mortality and the unpredictability of their existence. People often have difficulty fully processing grief because of the expectation from society to quickly move on and they are then left with more complex problems like anxiety.
After someone passes away people are usually expected to return to work or school fairly quickly. There is a significant stigma around showing emotions such as grief in our culture and people tend to hide or suppress their feelings to appear functional and normal to others. Unfortunately this can complicate grief and cause the individual to feel anxious not only about death but a more general anxiety that they can’t explain.
Experiencing the death of a loved one can be shocking and traumatic in a way that we often can’t fully comprehend. Suppressing feelings and not coping with grief can very negatively affect our emotional life and make it hard to get through daily life. Grief is something that few people are prepared to deal with and it often takes the help and guidance of a professional to get through each stage successfully.
When someone is able to process their grief they can start to minimize their feelings of anxiety and ultimately feel a sense of acceptance about their loss.