Sunday, November 06, 2005

Starting Over After Loss - By Kim Olver

How does one start over after the loss of a loved one? It is a monumental task that just feels overwhelming at times. Similar rebuilding occurs after the death, divorce or separation of a loved one.

First comes the shock of the loss and an almost denial that is has happened, particularly if there was no warning. We have hopes and dreams of the future that include our loved one and suddenly he or she is not there. How will we cope? How can we go on?

But go on we must and we will. Often times our first step is to attempt to regain what we have lost. This is impossible if our loved one has died but that doesn’t stop us from trying. A lot of what we go through in our grieving process is our best attempt to keep that person alive and well in our perception. So, we do things like go over the memories, look through picture albums, talk about our loved one to everyone who will listen, think about him or her every minute and even speak to him or her out loud.

If a loved one has not died, but has chosen to walk out of one's life, it can be more challenging. In this instance, you not only have to get over the shock of the loss but also cope with the feelings of rejection.

In our best attempt to get our loved one back, we may engage in all the behaviors someone who has lost their partner to death would. But in addition, we may beg them to take us back, follow our loved one around, try to get our friends to intervene on our behalf, and a host of other maladaptive behaviors.

Everyone grieves at his or her own pace. I am in no way suggesting that this process can or should be rushed. What I am saying is that when a person is ready, he or she can turn the grief into a new hope for the future.

There's a quote I've learned that is very helpful during this phase. Unfortunately, I do not know its source. The quote is: " Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." This is a highly evolved place to get and not everyone gets there.

However, if you find yourself in the process of starting over, adopting this particular attitude can be fairly helpful. You would begin by brainstorming all the possible benefits of no longer being in relationship with the person who's gone. This may seem uncomfortable at first, almost a betrayal of the love you shared, but it is the most healing thing you can do at this point.

You may feel that moving on will, in some way, send the message that you didn't really love enough. In an attempt to show the world how much you loved your partner, you use the depth of your grieving as the message. And if you are someone who wants to continue grieving, then nothing I have to say will get in your way. You don't even have to continue reading.

This article is really for those people who are tired of being depressed, who are ready to us start again and who want to actually believe that things can get better.

In 1999, my husband died of leukemia when he was 37 years old, leaving behind his two sons ages 13 and 15. Initially, there was no positive benefit I could see from that event at all.

However when I was ready to look for the positives, they did appear.

One of the first positives I saw is that I actually had the opportunity to say goodbye. My husband's entire family had the opportunity to say the things they wanted to say to bring closure to their relationships. Many people do not have that opportunity when loved ones pass.

A second benefit is that when my husband learned he was sick, he stopped working. He didn't stop because he was too sick. He stopped because there was some research link between his type of leukemia and the chemical benzene -- something he worked with at his job. Prior to his illness, my husband was a workaholic. Once diagnosed, he began to spend lots of quality time with our children. He coached soccer, coached Little League, taught our boys how to work on cars, and spent long hours with them hunting and fishing. This would not have happened had he lived to be a hundred years old with his workaholic behavior.

You too, can find the benefit in the loss of your last relationship. It merely involves putting on the proper lenses that will allow you to see it. Just like in science, there can be no positive without the negative and no negative without the positive. You can't have protons without neutrons -- and you can't have a devastating event in your life without it also bringing some positive benefits. Healing and moving on requires these lenses.

While you continue to mourn the loss of your relationship, you're only staying stuck in the past. Let's return to the quote mentioned above. Instead of mourning the loss of the relationship, focus on how fortunate you were to have that relationship in your life for as long as you did.

There are no guarantees in this life. When a loved one enters our life, there is no surety for how long he or she will stay. They're not possessions to be owned, but rather our gift to be cherished for as long as we have it.

One of the first steps to take in healing our grief is to reach out to others in our life who love us. When someone we love leaves us, it creates a huge void in our life. Some try to fill this void with drugs or alcohol, but that only results in a temporary reprieve from the pain.

If love is what we lost, then the only thing that will help us to feel better is more love. During this time you may confuse sex with love and go looking for meaningless encounters. However, this again will only postpone the inevitability of the pain of the loss of love.

We must replace love with love. Reach out to friends, family and co-workers. -- anyone who will fill some of the gap left by your loved one. It's not the same, it's not what you are really craving, but it will help heal the pain.

After that temporary reprieve with those who love us, you must start rebuilding your life and your strength. You can go on. You can laugh again. And yes, you can love again. Love has many forms.

You may develop another relationship in the time. You may find a cause that you love and believe in. You may "adopt" a neighborhood child. You may find or create work you love. You may get a pet that you can love unconditionally. You may become involved (but not too involved) in the lives of your extended family. Whatever form love takes, it will fill the void that was left from the relationship you lost.

But none of this will truly do the trick unless you learn to love yourself again. How does one accomplish this task? You must take inventory. Make a list of all that you have to offer the world. What are your strengths? What are your interests? What are your talents and abilities? What do you love?

If you're having difficulty completing your list, ask someone you trust for help. An objective viewpoint can often point out positives of which we are unaware.

And if, after taking this step, you are still unsure of your special talents and skills, then make a list of the person that you want to be. What is it that you would like to be able to offer the world? Describe a person that you admire whom you would strive to become. As long as there's breath in your body, it is never too late to learn to expand and grow to become the person that you truly want to be.

If you feel as if your life is over, you are truly wasting the gift of life that you have been given. There is only one you. You have something unique inside you to offer the rest of us. Please don't keep it hidden, lost in your grief.

Do not climb in the grave with your loved one. It is not your time. Do not wither and die behind the door your loved one closed on his or her way out of your life. Find someone less fortunate than you, and do something for them without expecting anything in return. You'll be surprised what that does to elevate your mood.

If you are ready and having trouble getting started, please email me at Kim@therelationshipcenter.biz or phone me at 708-957-6047. I would be happy to talk with you further about this.

Kim Olver is a licensed professional counselor and a life/relationship coach. She helps people unleash their personal power by living from the inside out, focusing their time and energy on only those things they can control. She also helps people improve the quality of their relationships with the important people in their lives. She offers free chats, assessments, a blog and an eZine, as well as workshops, teleclasses, e-courses, counseling and coaching. Visit her website at http://www.TheRelationshipCenter.biz or contact her at (708) 957-6047.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Suicide is Not an Option - By David Snape

On December 12th, 1992, my brother committed suicide. The consequences were devestating to everyone involved. Maybe this story will help someone who is contemplating suicide to decide against it.

Suicide is not the solution that some may think it is. Problems and unresolved issues will haunt family and friends for many decades.

My nephew, who was just a baby at the time, would always ask about his uncle. He eventually learned to point up at the sky and say, "Uncle Scott".

But the reality is that he missed out on having the benefit and support of his uncle as he grew up. And of course, there are countless interactions with family members that will be missed over the decades.

Suicide is permanent. And the effects that it has on loved ones also lasts over a life time.

My brother was only 22 years old at the time he chose to commit suicide. I was only 24.

I remember going to the viewing and seeing his lifeless body. They couldn't quite erase all of the signs of his violent death. And that image will stick with the living for the rest of their lives.

In the end, the temporary pain someone escapes by committing suicide might be overshadowed by the pain and sadness of family and friends. That pain may continue through the decades whenever they think about it.

The missed opportunities for interaction also impedes the growth of everyone else. Countless interactions that would have occurred are all lost now.

Who knows how destiny was changed by such an event. The family that he may have had will not exist now.

The triumphs and set backs of a life will never be realized. The fulfillment of a lifetime was cut short by a decision that may have been made rashly at a moment of personal confusion or pain.

We never know who it is in our destiny to meet and interact with over a lifetime. All of those 'plays' of life will never be able to exist because one of the characters on the stage will not be there to fulfill his role.

So, the total sum of the tragedy is really unknown but it seems likely that over what would have amounted to decades of time, that sum must be quite high. I guess we won't get the chance to find out.

Though I am revealing this personal family tragedy to the masses through this article, if it saves a single life, it will be worth it. Drop me a line if you ever want to talk, I would be happy to hear from you.

Dave Snape writes for All Things Pondered:http://AllThingsPondered.com You can find him there.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/