How to grieve your old life: Covid22 edition!

Grief is our emotional response to any kind of loss, whether that’s the loss of a loved one, a job, a home or (thanks to COVID) your previous life. 

For many people they have lost their jobs, or had their jobs put on ‘hold’ (hello entertainment industry, wedding industry, tourist industry) or their occupational field has been decimated potentially for many years to come. This is obviously something that can trigger a grief response in you.  

If you have not lost your job, have somewhat enjoyed parts of lockdown, and have generally found there has been only moderate inconveniences or struggles (like missing going to the movies and gorging on popcorn in the dark!) you are still allowed to grieve for your previous life. 

We are all experiencing an alteration of our lives as we know it and we are facing the creation of a ‘new normal’. We struggle with change, even change that we are wanting and are excited about. Realising that it’s ok, no matter what your current situation looks like, to grieve what life looked life before COVID. 

Grief has no playbook, as a Psychologist we cannot tell you how you should grieve. In saying that, we do have some things that might highlight you’re not doing so crash hot and may need some support (and remember we all need help walking this very winding, up and down path that has been COVID and we’ve all engaged in behaviours that are not ideal!) 

So if you find yourself drinking more than you normally would, eating quite poorly more often than not, not leaving your house at all or engaging in other activities that may cause you harm; these are signs that you may need to get some support, whether from a friend, loved one or mental health professional. If you would like to book in for some extra support, feel free to contact us on 8838-8687 or book an appointment online and come in to see one of our friendly Psychologists.