When people find grief particularly difficult, they sometimes worry they will be unhappy for the rest of their life.
For most people, it isn’t like that. After a while, the grief usually becomes less overwhelming, and they start to enjoy things and feel enthusiastic about life again. Many people say that coping with grief is about finding ways to live with the change and adapting to life without the person who has died. It’s not that your feelings about the person lessen, so much as a new way of living grows around the loss.
You might want to develop some practical coping skills for getting through the hard days. If your grief doesn’t seem to be getting more manageable over time, see What if I feel “stuck” or desperate?
→ READ MORE: What if I feel ‘stuck’ or desperate?
Podcast: Coping with Grief
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A/Prof Lisa Beatty, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology and Consulting Clinical Psychologist, Flinders University Institute of Mental Health and Wellbeing, SA; Sandra Anderson, Consumer; Dr Alexandra Clinch, Palliative Medicine Specialist and Deputy Director, Palliative Care, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital, VIC; Christopher Hall, Chief Executive Officer, Grief Australia; Nathan MacArthur, Specialist Grief Counsellor and Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Sydney Grief Counselling Services, NSW; Linda Magann, Clinical Nurse Consultant – Palliative Care, St George Hospital, NSW; Palliative Care Australia; Richard Upton, Consumer; Lesley Woods, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA.
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