Grief comes in many different shapes and sizes, just because someone else might not be bothered by something doesn’t mean it’s off-limits for you. Nobody in this world is the same and to be honest, it can cause issues from time to time.
Different kinds of grief hold different symptoms and affect us in a variety of ways. Below I am going to go over some of them and break things down a bit. If you’re experiencing any of these, please know that you are not alone and that things will get better in time.
6 Kinds Of Grief and How They Affect Us:
1. Autonomy Loss
This is a bit situational in how it affects others but can be damning all the same. Autonomy loss relates to the loss of the ability to manage one’s own life. So, in this kind of situation, you would be ill or perhaps financially lost and unable to take care of yourself. When you cannot provide for yourself on a basic level, it can be humiliating and cause serious grieving.
This kind of thing tears a person down on several different levels and leaves them wondering where to go from their present state. We as human beings want to be in charge of our bodies and lives. When we lose control we feel as though we’ve lost everything.
2. Necessary Loss
This kind of loss comes with grief that might not be easy to handle but gets you to a place in life where you need to be. This loss is in itself replacing something in your life so that things can be much better in the future than they were before. For instance, you might mourn the loss of a relationship but that relationship was severely toxic to you and did you no favors at all. You can finally move forward and better yourself.
This kind of loss can also be felt when finally leaving home for the first time. Like when a fresh graduate moves off to college. You’re losing something you’ve always had and count on but also opening new doors to the future ahead of you. It might be scary but in the end, it is well worth every effort.
3. Identity Loss
While identity loss in regards to the others on this list might not seem that bad, it is devastating to those facing it. This occurs when someone feels like they are losing who they are. Someone might end up grieving over this when they are forced to end a marriage after playing the role of a husband or wife for years on end. They no longer know how to get through their daily lives and everything is thrown off-kilter.
4. Expectation Loss
While it might seem silly this is one of the most common kinds of loss or grief that people face. This is wanting something so bad and being unable to achieve it. Like when someone is so desperate to have a baby but finds out that they are infertile. This kind of thing can make or break a person in a lot of ways.
5. Safety Loss
This is one of the most terrifying present on this list, without a doubt. This kind of grief usually affects those who have been through some kind of trauma. They no longer feel as though they are safe in their homes or lives as a whole. This is someone losing their sense of stability and being unable to find a place in the world where they feel as if no one can hurt them.
For instance, you might feel safe in your home but if someone breaks in you no longer will. You will have to work very hard to get that sense of security back. It isn’t something that happens overnight.
6. Perceived Loss
Perceived loss is probably the most interesting grief form on this list. This kind of thing occurs when you’re experiencing a kind of loss that perhaps no one else ever has. It is not something those around you can see but it is something that is seriously affecting you.
This one tends to relate more to our self-esteem and things of that sort. For instance, a child going through the week thinking that he or she is the least favorite in the family because of something that happened. This brings the child down emotionally and mentally in a lot of ways and it can take time to build back up to where he or she might want to be or have been, to begin with.