Written by National Grief Awareness Day occurs on August 30. It is not a celebration of grief at all. It, instead, is an acknowledgment to all the grievers going through their difficulties and to bring awareness to the many groups and organizations that lend help and support to those managing their personal challenges.
Grief has been traditionally linked to bereavement, but the definition has broadened to include a multitude of circumstances. The Grief Recovery Handbook discusses over 40 reasons for a person to be in grief. Issues that range from divorce to empty nest syndrome were mentioned.
It is a challenge to deal with a loss of any type, and we must understand that we must. Although we must, it only makes the challenges even more difficult. I often think of my losses, which include my wife, father, and beloved family pets (cat and dog). Dealing with the loss is hard, and those who must endure it are forever changed. Dr. Mary Francis O’Connor is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Arizona. She recently wrote a book titled “The Grieving Brain,” in which she discusses the neurological changes our brains go through in response to grief.
According to Dr. O’Connor and fellow scientists, the brain maps out our existence. The brain’s Hippocampus region records the data, stores and maps it so that humans have recollection and memory of circumstances. This phenomenon was also discussed and imaged by Dr. Marshall Dalton of the University of Sydney in Australia and his team. According to their research, “It is essential for the brain and plays a crucial role in memory formation and the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage. In addition to these functions, the hippocampus also plays a role in navigation, imagining future or fictitious experiences, creating mental imagery, and even visual perception and decision-making.”
Dr. O’Connor’s research shows that grief-related circumstances change the brain. The map that was once known is now changed due to a loss suffered by the griever. Dr. O’Connor used fMRI technology to see the changes in the brain that occur with a loss. So, you are not going crazy when navigating through various bouts with grief. Your brain is in a rewiring process. It is creating a new map of the once familiar.
Because grief is such a challenge, organizations catering to helping grievers better navigate the process want to ensure that people managing various symptoms can receive assistance. Organizations like Actively Moving Forward (AMF), The Association for Death Education and Counselling (ADEC), and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offer various resources and counseling to help individuals better address losses and their feelings of grief.
Therapists, Counsellors, and Life Coaches also help people manage grief related to loss and other circumstances that bring about the feeling of grief, symptoms, and its associated emotions. Emotional support is a genuine need for people dealing with grief-related matters. In addition to trained support, caring and non-judgmental friends and family can become go-to support systems. Some grievers believe that keeping the feeling inside and not sharing it is the process they should endure. This should never be the case because the emotions associated with grief can have dire effects on an individual.
Thoughts of self-harm that include suicide are some consequences of internalizing grief. A study performed by World Population Review showed that suicide rates vary amongst different countries. Their study in 2019 showed that the country of Lesotho had a suicide rate as high as 72% (per 100K people). It has a population of over 2 million. The average top ten countries, minus Lesotho, was approximately 29%, with the US at 16.1%. (not in the top ten).
Thoughts of suicide become a significant factor and a reason we should keep our eyes, hearts, and minds open to addressing people dealing with grief-related matters. This day of awareness highlights grief and brings its hidden detriments out into the open. This day is not a celebration by any means. Still, it is needed to create further discussion, ensure people who need help know where to get it, identify organizations that can provide the support, and increase our awareness of the signs and symptoms. Acknowledging grief this day allows people to empower themselves to affect change in their community and reach out to help someone in need.
Many people genuinely do not want to acknowledge grief because its effects symbolize the loss endured. According to a poll created by Amerispeak and WebMD, over half of the world’s population feels the effects of grief, and issues like war, climate change, and COVID-19 have brought the realities of grief to many doorsteps. Grief is an unfortunate part of life. A feature that many deal with daily.