Grief Recovery for Seniors: Finding Healing After Loss

Are you looking for a simple guide to help you with grief recovery? Redbud Place is here to support you, no matter which type of grief you're going through right now.

Grief is such a complicated experience that can hit us in a variety of different ways. That overwhelming sense of loss can make it difficult to feel like yourself until you find ways to process, understand, and find solace in those emotions.

To help you, we've put together this guide that lists actionable approaches to healing after grief and loss in McKinney, TX. Continue reading to learn how to give yourself the tools to improve your emotional wellness.

Understand the Process of Grief

One of the first steps anyone coping with grief needs is to understand the overall grieving process and how others have come out on the other side. While grief and healing are personal journeys, it can be comforting to realize that there is a typical set of stages to expect.

The key to this is to also understand that your stages could come and go in a different order.

You might skip a stage and then come back to a stage you thought you were past. Grief recovery isn't a linear journey, but knowing others have survived can bring hope during those darker days.

Denial

This stage is a defense mechanism to protect ourselves from our overwhelming emotions. We don't want to admit to ourselves that a tragedy is possible.

Anger

Instead of losing ourselves to sadness, we choose an easier emotion to understand: anger. Aggression and irritation at everything in your path aren't uncommon.

Bargaining

This is when a person begins to suffer from ideas of regret or wishes for change. You might think of a statement that begins with "If only I'd done..."; it's a way our brains try to take back control over an uncontrollable situation.

Depression

This stage describes when the deep sorrows of grief catch up to you. You're unable to avoid the fact that the tragedy occurred. This stage often leads to self-isolation and can sometimes feel inescapable.

Acceptance

This is the part where life after loss starts to feel possible. It doesn't mean your sorrow or grief is completely gone and won't ever affect you again. Instead, this stage symbolizes the acceptance that a massive change occurred in your life.

Maintain Contact With Loved Ones

Emotional healing in aging makes it easy to draw away from your normal routine. Our instinct when confronted with grief is to isolate and lose ourselves in our emotions and turmoil.

Recovery comes easier when you keep going to your favorite senior activities and call your family members as usual.

It takes extra effort to maintain communication with others during grief, but it's beneficial to your healing process. Make sure to ask them to check in more often as well, which can help encourage you to do the same in return.

Staying involved in your life shows you that you're capable of being more than your grief, no matter how dark some days seem.

Join a Support Group

Finding meaningful support after loss can be as simple as joining a support group. These groups represent a support system full of people who have intimate experiences with grief.

You can rely on the other group members to look out for you.

They can even call or check in on you outside of meetings. They'll help make sure you're eating well, or can come over when you need to talk.

Engage in Self-Care Exercises

Senior wellness and emotional recovery go hand-in-hand. If you're not taking care of your daily needs, it becomes almost impossible to heal from your grief.

Even a small amount of effort can go a long way in making things easier to deal with. Make sure to give yourself time, space, and resources for self-care.

Impactful self-care ideas include:

Visiting someplace special
Listening to music or watching a favorite movie
Taking a comforting bath
Going for a walk in a beautiful location
Reading a new book
Starting a journal
Spending some time in the sunlight
Indulging in a hobby

Create a Grief Ritual

Some seniors appreciate the act of creating a grief ritual as a way to exorcise their emotions. These kinds of rituals can help you find closure and encourage you to process your emotions in a new way.

Each grief ritual is a personal choice. As long as it gives you a chance to examine your emotions and give them an outlet, it can be a successful activity.

Examples of grief rituals include:

Writing a letter to yourself or a lost loved one
Creating a piece of artistic and emotional expression
Going to a religious or spiritual ceremony
Carrying an important keepsake or memento with you

Seek Professional Help

Grief is a difficult journey to navigate, and sometimes we need an expert to show us through the darkness. A professional can help when your days feel the bleakest. They can provide comfort, guidance, and even medical help if necessary.

If you ever feel as though you're stuck in your grief or your inner thoughts frighten you, reach out to someone. Ask a friend or family member to help you find a professional who can put you back on the right path to healing.

Every person has a different journey, and it's never a bad choice to get extra help when you need it.

Support During Grief Recovery in McKinney

The main thing to remember is that grief recovery -- regardless of the type of grief -- is a journey with ups and downs. To ensure you don't get lost, reach out to a local and trusted senior community to help guide you.

If you're looking for a supportive McKinney community, Redbud Place Assisted Living could be the right choice for you. Our senior community has a passionate staff that can help you find a safe and successful path through your grief without hindering the natural process.