Four losses

[karrie]

Since March last year I have lost a niece, my half-sister’s son-in-law, my last aunt, and a sister. I have struggled especially since losing my sister. Not sure anyone really understands, and I get that, but I want to be able to live my life again as best as I can. I am currently in therapy and that is helping but I still have dark days and days where it all seems too hard. I just want to wake up and feel like even though life will never be how it was, that I have the strength to put one foot in front of the other and make it to the other side. I am not suicidal, but I have self-harmed in the past few months. I am currently 3 weeks without doing anything and I want to keep it that way.

Can anyone tell me how they were able to learn to live with their grief and move on with life. I have lost people before, but it has never felt like this.

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[VM-pink1]

Hi Karrie

Cumulative grief can be so overwhelming. Is your therapist assisting you to process each loss one by one? Our losses are as individual as the person we lost and it can be rather hard when they are all one on top of the other. I feel your pain when you say that you have lost people before but it has never felt like this. I too lost my sister. Hardest thing I have ever faced. Each of us process grief differently and need various techniques to assist processing our loss. Something that has worked for me is listening to the Good Mourning podcast. Sal and Im are Griefline ambassadors. They keep it real, I have even found myself laughing along, which in the early stages of losing my sister, I could not have envisioned. They even have an episode on sibling grief. Let me know what you think if you give it a listen. Sending you arm fulls of compassion.

[VM-yellowtulips]

Hello Karrie, thank you for sharing about the losses you’ve been experiencing, it must be incredibly difficult to navigate your grief journey having lost four special people in your life recently. I lost my sister too, and I found it really helpful to see a grief counsellor when I was ready to learn how to live with my grief. It’s great that you are in therapy and supporting yourself in this way. You sound like you have a beautiful inner strength to help you through this very sad time. What has the past week been like for you?

[vmpercy]

I’m so deeply sorry for the losses you’ve experienced, especially since they’ve happened in such a short period of time. Seeking therapy and reaching out here on this forum is an amazing step. Every person’s grief journey is unique, but what you’re feeling matters and is valid. Just the courage in sharing your story, actively attending therapy, and holding back from self-harm for the past three weeks speaks volumes about your strength. Please know you’re not alone on this journey. We’re here to support you every step of the way.

You asked how others learned to live with their grief. Everyone’s process is different, but I think you might find the article “Grief Recovery Part 1: In Search of Lost Strengths” helpful. It discusses recognising and tapping into personal strengths, which can help in finding a renewed sense of life after loss. Stay connected, and remember we’re all here for you.

Grief Recovery Part 1: In Search of Lost Strengths

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