Processing Grief And Loss — Part 1
How It Feels
Today, I’m going to talk about grief and loss. If you read my recent piece about the death of my gorgeous old man, my cat Saxon, you’ll know how devastated I was. You may even be shocked when I tell you it’s the most intense grief I’ve ever felt. Yes, even though I have lost my father and four of my six grandparents (2 were step-grandparents, but my mum married my stepdad when I was five).
The fact is, though, none of them was a daily part of my life. My relationship with my Dad had been problematic at best, and it was only a few years before he died that we really became close. I loved my grandparents, but I only saw them sporadically.
Saxon was always there. Even when he was asleep on the couch or on the grass outside, my heart was full of love for him. I said good morning to him every day and scratched his little noggin. I adored the little chirrups of excitement he made as I got his dinner ready. He was a deeply loved member of my family.
Bereavement
Let’s start by defining what bereavement is. According to the mental health charity, Mind, bereavement is:
“Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us. It is characterised by grief, which is the process and the range of emotions we go through as we gradually…
