How to cope with the process of psychological grief due to coronavirus?

Several tips for coping with grief, adapted to the context of the pandemic.

Although the first wave of coronavirus infections seems to have already passed, the impact it has generated in our society is still very active, and it seems that it will be with us for several months.

In fact, unfortunately there are many people who are still assimilating the emotional blow of this season of contagions, business closures and deaths.

In the following lines we will focus on the latter, to see what it means to go through a period of psychological mourning for a period of psychological mourning for the death of a loved one during the COVID-19 crisis..

The effects of psychological grief due to coronaviruses

Let's start with the basics: what is psychological grief? It is a psychological process in which an emotional disturbance occurs due to a situation of loss of something or someone important to us. of something or someone important to us.

The classic form of grief is caused by the loss of a loved one, such as a family member, a friend or a pet, but in reality it can also appear after moving to another country, suffering a serious illness that has left after-effects, losing a business, etc.

Thus, psychological grief can take many different forms and it would be absurd to try to classify them all exactly because each case is unique, in a sense. However, there are reasons to understand that the grief that occurred in the context of the coronavirus pandemic has a number of special features that merit comment that make them worthy of comment.

Firstly, due to the security measures taken to avoid contagion, social distancing has been strictly applied, including cases of patients admitted to hospitals. This has meant that many people have had to be away from their loved ones upon their death.

In addition, many funeral ceremonies have had to be postponed, so that the mourning processes of many people have been affected by this fact, which makes it difficult to close them.

Secondly, those who have lost a loved one see how this reality is see how this reality is mixed with a complex situation marked by uncertainty and in which many are affected. and in which many are affected by the onset of another economic crisis. This means that in many cases grief is combined with an added source of stress and anxiety.

What to do?

Here are some guidelines that you can follow to ease your grieving process if you have lost a loved one during the coronavirus crisis.

1. Do not try to block negative thoughts

Trying to keep away from our consciousness the thoughts that cause us emotional pain is a mistake, because it makes us keep obsessing about them, it gives them more power..

2. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a set of practices that favor the emergence of a psychological state known as Mindfulness, very useful to manage stress and keep intrusive thoughts that generate discomfort at bay.

3. Express yourself

Do not be afraid to show your emotionsSeek support from the people you feel close to is a positive thing to sort out ideas and discharge tensions.

4. Create your own farewell ceremonies

There is no need to rely on conventional funeral ceremonies to say goodbye to your loved ones.

In fact, saying goodbye in your own saying goodbye in your own way is just as, if not more, meaningful than a funeral attended by dozens of people. There's no need for luxury or grand aesthetic elements; create your own symbolic event, keeping in mind what connected you to that person.

5. Make sure you get enough rest

It is common for people going through a psychological grief process to feel that they are not doing anything productive, either due to lack of motivation or fatigue.

If this is your case don't be fooled; you still need as much or more sleep than in normal situations.. Set yourself a time to go to bed and make sure you stick to that protocol.

6. Don't avoid reminiscing about your time with that person.

Focusing on memories of past experiences with the deceased is not a bad thing; in fact, it helps you grieve. However, focus mainly on the positive experiences, either because they are joyful or because you believe they brought you something good.

Are you looking for psychotherapeutic support?

If you are going through a difficult time due to a grieving process and you think you need professional support, please contact us. In Cribecca Psychology we have a team of psychologists trained to serve patients of all ages and with extensive experience in therapy processes to problems of emotional type, we can help you both in person at our center located in Seville and through online therapy via video call. To see more information about Cribecca Psicología, access this page.

Bibliographical references:

• Bonanno, George A. (2004). "Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?". American Psychologist. 59 (1): pp. 20 - 28.
• Freed, P.J.; Yanagihara, T.K.; Hirsch, Joy; Mann, J. John (2009). "Neural Mechanisms of Grief Regulation". Biological Psychiatry. 66 (1): pp. 33 - 40.
• Kübler-Ross, E. (2006) On bereavement and grief. Ediciones Luciérnaga. Barcelona.
• Payás, A. (2008). Psychological functions and treatment of obsessive ruminations in bereavement. Rev. Asoc. Esp. Neuropsiq., 28(102): pp. 307 - 323.