2020 has certainly been a rough year for almost everyone.

With COVID-19, many families have been dealing with the unexpected deaths of relatives. Whether or not it is COVID-related or not, having an ill relative during this time is very difficult.

I know this personally: I have dealt with the death of both of my grandparents during a short period of time.

Both of them passed away before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. I did not have to deal with not being able to see my family because of the pandemic. I do know that is how it is for many families right now.                       

But how can you learn to deal with not being able to see your family during hard times? How can you return back to normal life?

The counselors are always here to help you with these questions. Mrs. Fiechtner will be sharing some tips about how to deal with grief.

What is grief and the grieving process?

Grief is defined as a deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone’s death.

The grieving process steps consist of first shock and denial. During this stage, one may think that the news is fake or try and make themselves believe that it isn’t real.

The next stage is anger and bargaining. While in this stage one may feel more irritable and start pulling away from others. The other response would be trying to bargain you’re way out. This stage is probably the most intense as you are usually willing to do anything to bring the person back.

The third stage is depression. This is also known as the realization stage. In this stage one finally realizes that the outcome is inevitable.

Finally, the last stage is testing/acceptance. This is where one starts finding coping mechanisms to help them overcome the loss.

And finally, after going through all of that you will go through the acceptance stage. This stage is still hard but by this point, everything shouldn’t be as chaotic.

Personal story

My personal story with grief is when I lost both my grandma and my grandpa in the same year. It was difficult to deal with and definitely took a large toll on me. I didn’t have much time to grieve my grandpa before my grandma got sick and later passed away.

It was definitely a long hard ride watching both of them go, and it is still hard to deal with to this day. I miss them all the time but I am no longer in the grieving phase and have personally accepted it. It took a lot for me to get here but here are a few things that I did to help me get through my grandparents’ deaths.

Counselor tips

Spend time with family, if you can.

This is a hard time for everyone in the family. Make sure to take extra time to spend with your family. With Covid-19 it is hard to see family face-to-face. Try sending them a text message or give them a phone call. Remember you are not alone in this. 

Take time for yourself.

Self-care is extra important right now. Make sure you are also taking some time for yourself as well. Some examples of this are going on a walk, meditate, listen to music or a podcast. These small acts can make a huge impact on the grieving process.