Navigating Holiday Grief & Loss

Feelings of grief may increase or feel more intense during the winter holidays and continue through the new year. The definition of grief as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2018) is “the anguish experienced after significant loss, usually the death of a beloved person. Grief is often distinguished from bereavement and mourning.

Not all bereavements result in a strong grief response, and not all grief is given public expression (see disenfranchised grief). Grief often includes physiological distress, separation anxiety, confusion, yearning, obsessive dwelling on the past, and apprehension about the future. Intense grief can become life-threatening through disruption of the immune system, self-neglect, and suicidal thoughts. Grief may also take the form of regret for something lost, remorse for something done, or sorrow for a mishap to oneself.”

It is understandable to contemplate changing traditions or forming new traditions. Here is the Griever’s Holiday Bill of Rights (1992) by Bruce Conley which may help empower you to change traditions or form new traditions. The clinicians I work with and I are here to help you process through holiday grief and loss.

References:
American Psychological Association (2018). Bereavement n. APA Dictionary of Psychology. APA Dictionary of Psychology
American Psychological Association (2018). Mourning n. APA Dictionary of Psychology. APA Dictionary of Psychology
Conley, B. (2014). The griever’s holiday bill of rights. Conley Outreach. https://conleyoutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Grievers-Holiday-Bill-of-Rights-by-Bruce-Conley.pdf