Grief Beyond Death: Dealing With Other Life Losses

When people bring up the topic of grief, most people initially think about the death of a loved one. Many topics revolve around how to cope with the loss of people- and that is understandable by most. However, grieving the loss of something other than people, such as the loss of a job, a relationship, a dream, or an opportunity, is just as valid. And it can be a challenging and deeply personal process, especially when others lack the depth of understanding regarding how you felt in your given circumstance. When people fail to validate your loss, it can be disheartening and frustrating.

“It was just an animal.”

“You weren’t even dating that long.”

“Seriously, why are you this upset about a job?”

“You haven’t let that go yet?”

“Just get over it!”

Everyone experiences life differently. Therefore, we can never truly understand where anyone is coming from. Despite that, it is never our job to judge the grief of others or tell them how they can or should feel about a loss.

When I lost my first business, I felt like the ultimate failure. I put so much time, energy, and money into it. That business was my livelihood, it was supposed to be my key to financial freedom, it was supposed to my way to help and connect with the community, and it was…