You and I are not as different as it might seem…
I will never forget my father’s first words on January 19th, 2012 as I finally reached him: ‘You have got to be strong now.’
I knew what he was going to say next and I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want it to become the reality we had been dreading: My mother was dead.
It was only 4,5 months after my daughters were born and the younger twin had died 3 days after birth.
By now, you might be wondering why I started this post with the statement above. Hear me out…
Have you been touched by loss?
In the past 2 years as we all dealt with the worldwide effects of a pandemic, a situation no one would have or could have imagined, we have all been touched by loss in one way or another.
From letting go of personal freedom to move to no longer being able to meet and be close with people, from losing loved ones, through separation of space, different views, ideas, or all the way to loved ones who died from Covid.
Loss upon loss
The losses that we all had to deal with or face, in one way or another, have made grief an experience closer than we might even fully realize.
- loss of people through death
- loss of personal freedom
- loss of health
- loss of income, job, career
- loss of closeness and intimacy
- loss of friendships
- loss of freedom of choice
- loss of ease with which we decided to go about our lives
- loss of relationships
- loss of humanity
- loss of unity
- loss of individuality
- loss of trust in self, in others, in society, in …
- loss of potential
- loss of safety
- loss of belonging
- loss of connection through isolation
- loss of clarity
- loss of individual rights
… just to name a few.
Changes and letting go
The increase of fear and worry goes side by side with the changes we all had to go through. Changes inevitably bring emotions: some changes bring relief, others fear, uncertainty, and many if not all mean letting go of what we are or have been used to.
Letting go involves grieving what no longer is. Maybe the grief is subtle, and going under the radar of your awareness. Sometimes it shows up through physical, emotional, or cognitive symptoms such as, for example, a lack of motivation.
Are there any other kinds of losses you have experienced? I’d love to add them to the list. Share them in the comments below.
Photo Credit: Photo by Amin Moshrefi on Unsplash
