Grieving

Today I would like to express my sadness about Brazil’s Covid numbers. This week Brazil reached 300,000 deaths from COVID-19. It is the second highest number on the Earth – The USA is the first one. Millions of families are grieving their loved ones, not being able to say goodbye to them. It’s being called a catastrophe with more than 2,200 people on average dying daily.

Last week I attended a webinar about grieving. The sharing of experiences evoked my desire to go deeper into this topic and share it with you.

Grieving is the pain of loss. It is not restricted to a death, but it could also be an economic, social, physical loss. During this pandemic we felt those kinds of losses. Triggering different feelings, such as anxiety, fear, anger, guilt, numbness, and others. First of all, we have to understand that griefing is not linear, not predictable and there isn’t a right way to handle it. There is time to cry, there is time to smile. There is time for everything.

Is there a time for keeping your distance 

A time to turn your eyes away

Is there a time for keeping your head down

For getting on with your day 

(Miss Sarajevo – U2 & Luciano Pavaroti)

As a caregiver, friend or a family member, besides understanding the meaning of griefing, we have to be able to feel and face the other’s pain. We will be able to support someone just until we allow ourselves to feel the pain. It doesn’t mean that I have to lose a loved one to be able to understand grief, actually we have to be empathetic. Empathy is the capacity to understand what someone is feeling, the ability to place oneself in another’s position. 

Some people show worries about what they have to say or to do to a mourner. Reporting high levels of anxiety when they don’t know how to deal with it. Well, if I could give you advice, it would be: Be a good listener. It is not the moment to preach or give solutions.

I intend to write more about it soon. Meanwhile, with all my heart, I am sorry for your loss.💔