The death toll from COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, has surpassed 110,000 Americans. It is important to mourn these deaths. Additionally, the coronavirus has caused us to mourn our lost ways of living and other habits.
You can’t go out with your friends, hug a grandparent or open a door in public places. Some of these changes were temporary. Although states are beginning to open up, the changes in our relationships with one another and the rest of the world will likely last a lot longer.
“We need to grieve the ways of life we have lost,”William Glover, Ph.D. is the president of American Psychoanalytic Association.
“Mourning is hard work,”In his essay, Sigmund Freud wrote once. “Mourning and Melancholia.”It is difficult to mourn because you have to let go of attachments, whether they are to people or a way to live. It is important to let go of the things that have been lost. However, we can still live our lives without them.
Mourning and grieving are important parts of dealing with loss. They also help us to manage changes and accept new realities. Recognizing the possibility that our pre-COVID lives will never return is something to mourn. However, the work of mourning can be helpful in moving on to the new reality. Some people find it more difficult than others to deal with the loss. Others react by denying responsibility, refusing to take preventive measures, and disliking politicians and public health professionals who try to explain daily life’s changing realities.
Shelley Galasso Bonanno (Psychotherapist), writes in an article posted on APsaA’s Psychology Today blogsite. “Each person processes and expresses grief in their own individual ways, yet there is comfort and power in understanding that one is not alone during this pandemic.”Finding meaning in the current situation is one way to deal with grief. However, everyone’s approach may differ.
But everyone finds meaning differently. It may be providing food and assistance to someone who is unable to go, making masks for their neighbors, or donating money to support beloved venues or organizations. Some may find meaning by sharing their emotions with a therapist and reflecting on them.
There will be new ways for people to have fun, stay connected, and enjoy their lives. In the meantime, it is vital to be able and able tolerate grief and find meaning during difficult times.
The American Psychoanalytic Association (APA) has created a website that provides information for both the public and mental health professionals on resources to help them cope with anxiety and grief during this global pandemic.
Visit apsa.org/coronavirusFor articles, videos, as well as information on how you can find a therapist near to you, click here
