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Grief Counseling Certification Program Article on Season and Holiday Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

As the weather changes, so does our moods.   This is especially true of those individuals who live farther North.   With the settling of Winter, one’s energy levels lower in correlation with the shorter days.  As night comes earlier and earlier, individuals are drained of post work energy and find themselves sleeping and relaxing more.  This has negative effects on health.  Exercise is essential not just for health but also one’s mental and emotional status.

 

The change of weather and darker days can lead to seasonal depression. The person may not experience any loss but still become clinically depressed

Colder and darker nights do have effects on moods.  Seasonal depression can set in on these grey and dark days and nights.  Less exercise, less light and less energy all play into the hands of seasonal depression.   Seasonal depression spikes at a higher level after the Holidays.  Many suffer from depression after the Holidays.   The fun and excitement disappear and the return to regular regiment and life becomes the new norm.  Add the somber weather and darkness, then one can see an emotional drop compounded with negative weather.

Individuals already dealing with stress and grief will have a more difficult trek but it can also effect others with no existing grief.  Depression can be over nothing.  It can be a mental state with no true loss.  Seasonal and winter depression hence can strike those suffering from loss but also those who are merely struck with clinical depression merely due to the change of seasons, the end of the holidays, and the beginning of a cold and dark winter.

So we can look at two individuals suffering from season depression.  The first person experienced recent loss and is under enormous stress.   This person is not only dealing with the change of weather, lack of energy and darker days, but also bombarded with the loss and the stress that surrounds it.  The person is trying to adjust to the loss especially as the holidays approach but this becomes completely impossible.

The first holidays without a loved one can be the most difficult and most depressing.  It will in fact take many years before the holidays can be viewed with some slight excitement.  The bereaved person will have to learn to adapt to future holidays without the loved one and also learn to incorporate new ways of commemorating the deceased.  All of these things will take years and years, but until then, the first holiday without a loved one can be a dismal affair.   In fact, there may be no celebration that year. Instead the person may remain alone or avoid festivities.

Many can fall into seasonal depression after the holidays. The lack of decor and excitement and return to normal routine can cause a sadness to the soul

 

Compounded by this, they will suffer from the seasonal weather and lack of longer days.  The grey and cold will only illustrate what they feel inside.  While coping, it is possible this person may enter into a type of depression.

The other individual has no reason for grief.  He or she has not lost a loved one, but for whatever reason they feel a true emptiness.  There is no explanation for his or her grief.  The change of weather, lack of light and end of the holidays brings a barren and empty feeling.  This individual suffers from a true clinical depression.  There is no loss but the individual nonetheless feels empty.

So it is true that during the end of one year and the beginning of a new year, there can season depression.  Some already suffering from loss may grieve more heavily and some may even fall into a depression.  Others will suffer from an unexplained depression after the holidays.   The change in season definitely plays a key role whether it is the cause or merely an enhancement.  The reality is this time of year is harder than other times of year to deal with grief or even stress and for those even not dealing with these things merely due to the nature of the season, weather and climate.

This time of year is physically colder, damper and darker but also spiritually bright with so many cultural and spiritual holidays.  Hence it can prey on both the grieving and merely mentally unhealthy.

Those who suffer due to no reason but only mental and emotional response to the change of seasons should actively seek help.   Counselors can provide the needed guidance but sometimes others need the guidance of clinical counseling.  These individuals suffering from clinical depression will need medication.

Those who are suffering loss or remembering lost loved ones will also grieve.  They may need professional assistance as well but if not, they can in time learn to better cope and learn to remember the loved ones not present.  They can learn to commemorate the loss and find some joy in the love that was shared through memory and stories.

 

Some who experience loss during this time, already suffer and the climate merely compounds and reflects their inner sadness.

 

During the seasonal change it is important for individuals to try to remain active.  Gyms and other activities are key.  Physical exercise drops considerably during this time span from November through February and individuals need to remain faithful to a schedule.  They need to exercise not just for good physical health but also mental health.

Also, trying to make the winter months more special is key.  Perhaps going to the movies, skating, or bowling are good ideas.  Making a certain night a special night with family or friends to watch a favorite show or having a night out once a week to a restaurant.    It is important to take joy in the little things when the weather and time of day light is not as giving.

This of course is difficult when suffering from clinical depression or remembering a loss, but with counseling and if needed, medication, one should attempt to find some good from these months and still enjoy the little things of life.  Better coping strategies, exercise and doing little things can help one get through the darker and colder months.  Physical and mental health should be a top priority in these months!

Grief Counselors can help others cope through these dark months, and in some cases, licensed counselors are needed for issues that require medication, but through acknowledgement and a firm resolution, one can fight through these darker and colder months and find enjoyment during and after the holidays despite loss and despite seasonal change.

Season grief plays a large factor in depression from November through February. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification program

 

If you would like to learn more about grief counseling or would like to become a certified grief counselor then please review the American Academy of Grief Counseling’s Grief Counseling certification program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

 

 

Grief Counseling Training Program Article on Ecological Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

The loss of nature and ecological destruction plays a large role on humanity.  Individuals suffer from the devastation and grieve the loss of what was once.  These types of losses of beauty as well as climate problems cause distress.  This type of grief and anxiety is ecological grief.

Ecological grief is a true loss that we suffer as a society. Please also review our Grief Counseling training program

 

For instance, some may fear the loss of beauty found in the rain forest or the coral reef.  The beauty but also the instrumental role they play in our climates are a twofold loss of what we all experience with their destruction.

The article, “How to cope with the grief that comes with the world’s ecological crisis” by John Sharry looks into this type of loss.  He states,

 

“Many of those working within the environmental charities describe their heartbreak and grief at the loss of the natural world. This is the natural world which is not only beautiful in its own right but it is the world on which we entirely depend on as humans. For communities on the frontline of the climate emergency this grief is much more acute and threatening.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Training program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

Grief Counseling Training Program Article on Life and Loss

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

In life there are a few constants, unfortunately, death and loss is one.  While one plans one’s day and deals with stress and daily plans, no one ever really thinks about a death that may occur.  Life can change quickly at a moments notice and one discovers soon how fragile life truly is.  What was the biggest issue of the week suddenly becomes minute and small compared to a loss or the death of a loved one.  It puts one into a proper proportion of what matters most.  Some individuals should learn from this from others and understand how important the lives they share with others matters.

 

Grief and loss can suddenly change life’s plans in a heartbeat. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

 

The article, “You Can Plan For Everything, But Grief” by Tracey Wallace discusses various lives that were forever changed by loss.  She states,

“After months of intense grief, a year later Phil now loves going home to their house. He’s even started dating a bit again. And while the grief has become more manageable, he still learns new insights every day about just how special he and Alan’s connection really was.”

To read the entire article, please click here

It is truly terrifying to see how lives can change through loss but it is also amazing to see how people fight back and cope and continue their lives despite the loss.  One’s life will never be the same but it does not mean one’s life is over.  It is altered but never over.

Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

Grief Counseling Training Program Article on Holiday Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

The holidays always play a big part in our  lives.  Some happy, some not so happy.  Stress, loss and grief can unfortunately play a larger part than joy and peace.  If grieving a loss, it is natural to experience the holidays differently than before.  Individuals vary in how they will respond to the loss.  Some may seek to keep tradition while others may need time to return to past traditions.  There really is no true answer.

Grief during the holidays is especially painful. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training program and see if it meets your academic needs

 

Instead, one must navigate the holidays as best one’s ability.  Grief will be present if the first holiday without a loved one but over time, it does improve.  The loss never vanishes, but other ways to celebrate or even remember become possible.  Others may learn how to better handle stress through a few tips.

The article, “Navigating the Holidays with Grief” by Laura Wade looks at how one can better cope with grief during the holidays.  She states,

“It takes five to eight years to move through the emotions of a significant loss,” Boyd shares. “Holidays compound the feelings of loss since it is a time of connection and family. It is also a reminder the loved one is not there. Holidays are already an emotional time, especially if being together and focused on family was important to your loved one.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Holidays should be taken gently and easily during the first years of loss.  Only time can ease the sharp pain of loss.  It is also important to remember friends and family during these times who may be grieving a loss.  Sometimes a simply hello can mean the world to an individual who is still grieving a significant loss during the holidays.

If you would like to learn more about grief counseling or would like to become a certified grief counselor, then please review our Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

 

Grief Counseling Program Article on Meaning in Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief is a universal emotion that strikes humanity’s most existential questions.   With pain, suffering and loss, many try to find meaning in grief.  Finding meaning and coping with grief is a life skill that all must learn to deal with if they expect to work through the pains of life.   Sometimes it is difficult to find meaning and others need help tying the narrative of life together from loss to loss.  Each loss creating a chapter in the overall book of life.  Loss is always a result of something good and ironically if we never lost, then we would never have.  Love is the purpose of life and unfortunately tied to love is loss.  While in this temporal valley of tears, humanity’s existential journey is about balancing love and loss and understanding how to create a life narrative that somehow makes sense.

Finding meaning in grief can be difficult. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your professional goals

 

The article, “Finding Meaning in Grief” by Julie Phitzinger discusses trying to find meaning in loss.  She states,

“For Kessler, a noted grief expert,  finding a path forward became an unexpected and integral part of his life.  While Kessler was writing this book,  his son David, who had overcome a drug habit only to start using again, died in 2016 at the age of 21.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

 

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Stuck Points in Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Some individuals while coping through grief deal with difficulties in overcoming the grief due to various thoughts that surround the death or incident.   Trying to escape these thoughts can become exhausting emotionally.  Whats Your Grief refers to these as stuck points, when someone is unable to move past a certain aspect of the loss.

Usually these points challenge pre-conceived notions or values.  The loss makes the griever doubt these notions and prevents them from moving forward but keeps them constantly stuck, re-tracking and falling prey to those thoughts.  This is very detrimental to the grieving process and coping

PTSD and other problems can make individuals stuck in grief due to thoughts that prevent coping and advancement in the grief process

 

The article, “What are Stuck Points in Grief?” from Whats Your Grief states,

“Stuck points refer to thoughts that repeatedly bubble up in a person’s inner (and outer) dialogue that make it difficult for a person to process, cope with, or reconcile their experiences. To me, stuck points are like mean old trolls living under a bridge. Whenever a person tries to gain some momentum in working through their experiences, the troll comes up and says “Nope, you can’t pass. Now go back and think about what’s happened.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Another type of stuck point is a religious view some may contend with.  Many pray to God for cures or good things to occur.  The problem is sometimes that cure does not occur.  Bad things do happen to good people.

This can create a complex within someone that creates a religious paradigm within the individual.  While coping with grief and loss, they may constantly turn back to “Why did God do this to me?” or “Were not my prayers good enough?”

In addition to this, others may begin to see their loss in a form of religious struggle.  If God is good how can he allow this evil?  Or if God is good, then he must not be All Powerful to allow this evil?

These spiritual dilemmas are a result of primitive understanding of faith.  First, prayer is not contract.  When prayer is seen as contract, it fails to meet the relationship that exists.  A covenant of mutual care not necessarily answers that we demand if we do this or that.

Second, God is All Powerful and All Good, but he has given free will to others.  This permits evil.  One can also not see the over all view of existence within our temporal realm.

Loss can challenge preconceived notions of life and the universe, as well as previously held religious and spiritual beliefs. This can cause intense anxiety during the grief process

 

The article also does a good job at looking at other world views that are not religious.  The ideal of the world being a safe place when violence occurs to a loved one can have long lingering effects.

Grief is difficult enough to deal with.  Coping with a loss can be difficult but when certain ideas regarding that loss start to affect one’s coping and emotions, then they need to be analyzed and understood.  As the article states, one should document in a diary how common these thoughts are and relate them to reason as opposed to emotion.  If necessary, talk about these thoughts and try to get passed them.

If you would like to learn more about Grief Counseling, then please review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

The program is a home study program. It is online and self paced.  As an independent study program you go at your own pace.  After completing the required four courses, you can proceed to apply for certification.  Certification is four years and can be renewed as needed.

 

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Taming the Grief Monster

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief can become a difficult thing in life.  It can scar one forever but it can also take control of life if one is unable to properly cope with its elements.  Learning to embrace grief and what comes with it is the best strategy instead of trying to avoid it and not express.  Repression creates a bigger grief monster.

Coping with grief and finally finding joy in what was once is a difficult step in recovery. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification

 

The article, “Taming the Grief Monster” by Linda Zelik looks at when the joy of possessing what was lost eventually overtakes the pain of losing it.  In particular the tragic loss of a child.  She states,

“Traversing this path of profound grief may be the most difficult thing you ever face in life. Unfortunately, there are no magic wands or quick fixes. How could there be? A parent’s love for their child is total and unconditional, unlike any other kind of love. Even if we didn’t always like their actions or choices, our children held our love and it never wavered.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

 

Grief Counseling Program Article on Grief and Holidays

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief is difficult but it becomes more difficult with the holidays.  Holidays can remind us of times spent and re-open wounds of loss.  This is why Christmas or Thanksgiving can be so difficult to navigate for those dealing with a loss, especially a recent loss.

Grief can be more difficult during the holidays because it reminds us of the past
Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic needs

The article, “Navigating the Holidays with Grief” by Laura Wade looks at the particulars of dealing with grief during the holidays and how to better cope and deal with loss.  She states,

Holidays are typically considered happy times celebrating with family and friends. However, when someone has experienced a loss, the holidays can magnify the feelings associated with grief such as sadness, anger, guilt or regret.

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Pregnancy and Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Many women while pregnant experience a variety of emotional swings.  Depression unfortunately is not an exception to what an expecting mother may go through during pregnancy.

Depression can occur for women during and after pregnancy. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals

 

The article, “Pregnant and Depressed” by Joanna Novak looks into how depression can affect pregnant women.  In addition to depression during, issues also can arise afterwards.  She states,

“Fifteen percent of women will suffer from depression following childbirth—and some of those cases could be prevented by catching depression that starts during pregnancy. What’s more, depression, like any other medical condition, comes with risks for the fetus as well as the mother. ”

To read the entire article, please click here

In the meantime, please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals and needs.

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Grief Support at Work

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief is part of everyone’s life.  It does not magically turn on and off when we go to school or work.  Many individuals cope with grief and continue throughout their day.  Grief at work can be detrimental to production and hence it needs to be discussed.  Employees need to be treated as people and not robots.  Corporations and employers need to see the investment in the person and help that person succeed.  This includes talking about grief at work if necessary.

Employees need support after major loss when they return to work. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification

 

The article, “We need to talk about grief at work” by June Shannon reviews the necessity of discussing grief at work.  She states,

“Research from the Irish Hospice Foundation on grief in the workplace has revealed that one in four Irish adults have experienced bereavement in the last five years, yet just under a third (31 per cent) said they were supported when they returned to work.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.