How Grieving Ideas Can Be an Antidote to Chronic Anger
written by Bernard Golden, Ph.D. posted on Psychology Today
Grieving is a reaction to the loss of a loved one. However, it is also a natural reaction to having to let go of an idea–specifically, beliefs about our expectations for life. This is especially true with regard to those concerning our basic needs: food, shelter, love, identity, social connection, and security.
Grief is associated with feelings of sadness, depression, guilt, numbness, and anger. However, it is all too common for many of us to try to avoid these difficult emotions, to seek refuge from them through denial, suppression, and minimization. Failing to acknowledge and accept grief may only exacerbate both our emotional and physical pain. Suppressed grief can lead to chronic emotional numbness, low level depression, diminished energy, and an overall reduction in motivation.