May 5th-11th is Dying Matters Awareness Week – a yearly campaign by Hospice UK to spread awareness of death and dying. It often comes up in conversation for me with friends, family and clients too, about the ‘British reserve’ – the reluctance to speak about death and dying, or more specifically, reach out for help and admit that we’re struggling. People talk about how they were ‘brought up that way’ or ‘it’s how my parents were about things’, and that’s true, we inherit so many values from our parents.
As someone who has experienced childhood loss, I sometimes think if having bereavement therapy as a child would have made me a different person today. I often describe how ‘I got through it with the help of my imagination’ and maybe that’s true. However, one thing I have learned is that a lot of things that happen to us can lay unprocessed for a long time, and can often emerge when we least expect it.
Whether you have suffered a more recent loss, or feel that you have a loss that you haven’t processed, it’s important to know that there is no time limit on grief. Another thing to remember is that loss isn’t just about bereavement – loss can mean lots of things, such as family and relationship breakdown, job loss, or loss of purpose.
The theme of this year’s week is The Culture of Dying Matters. It’s a reminder that, while grief is a common thing that unites us, different cultures address it in different ways. Exploring that can be useful for you if you’re grieving but it can also help you to help others. Follow the link to find out more and don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you feel like you need some support in working through your loss.
Inside & Outside Counselling 