ColleenWatters
  • HOME
  • About
    • Mission and Philanthropy
  • Estate Planning
  • Probate
  • Planning for your pet
  • Special Needs Planning
  • Speaking
  • Contact
  • Blog

Understanding Grief

9/11/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
As an Estate Planning attorney I often work with people who are grieving and that requires me to be empathetic and understand grief as well as the grieving process. 

I work with people to set up their estate plans.  My practice also includes assisting clients in utilizing the documents when a loved one has become incapacitated or has passed away. During this time the parties involved are dealing with grief over the incapacity or loss of their loved one, as well as all the legal aspects. 

The following information is from Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel and shared with permission from Ron Harder. 

With the death of your loved one, your life has been changed. Understanding grief as you are going through it will provide the hope that you will be able to make it through this most difficult experience.

Ron Harder, owner of Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel, hosts a radio program on KFIA Sacramento (710 on the AM dial) each Thursday evening at 11:00PM & Saturday morning at 11:00AM.  You can listen from any location on iHeart.com or KFIA.com.

The information below is from the Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel website.  Please visit the site for more information and assistance.

♥ Time. Don’t try to rush through your grief. It will take time to work through all the emotions that come with grief.

♥ Every task is a challenge. It seems as if your world is standing still. Each task seems to be a much bigger challenge than it really is. You’re tired and you don’t want to think about anything except to deal with your pain. All of these feelings are normal.

♥ Be patient with yourself. Some losses will affect you more deeply than others. Don’t base your current grief recovery on a prior experience.

♥ Everyone grieves differently. Even family members who grieve the same loss will deal with their loss differently because each person’s relationship with the loved one was different.

♥ Accept help when it is offered. When people offer to help, it is their way of dealing with their own pain over the loss. It will also allow them to share their compassion for you. Allowing others to lighten your burden, even in a very small way like running an errand, or helping to clean your house or mow your lawn, will prove rewarding for both you and your friends. Knowing you have caring friends will strengthen you.

♥ Your faith is important. It is very personal, but those who have a personal faith draw strength from it as they endure their grief.

♥ Will I ever have all the answers? There are always many questions surrounding a death. There will be some questions that may never be answered. In time, you will find that the best way to deal with those unanswered questions is to accept that these questions will
remain unanswered. Dwelling on them will result in prolonged anger over the death.


♥ Join a grief support group. GriefShare is an excellent 13-week grief support series. Learning about how to deal with grief and meeting others who are at different levels and who grieve differently than you is an excellent way to realize that you can move forward in this process. Check with Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel to find out about a GriefShare group near you.

♥ Reflect on pleasant memories. In the beginning, you are likely to associate only sadness with thoughts of your loved one. In time, however, you will be able think about your loved one and remember the wonderful times you enjoyed together.

♥ Why do I feel like I’m in a fog? You feel like you’re in a fog because your brain is
working extremely hard to sort through all the pain of your sorrow. As you work through your emotions and gain some understanding about your loss, the fog will lift. This may take months.


♥ Decisions. It is wise to hold off on making major decisions for a year after a significant
loss. Many time, a decisions is made on an emotional level (in honor of the loved one), but the decision is regretted later when the bereaved is able to think more clearly and logically.


♥ Take care of yourself. Do what makes you comfortable. If you make a commitment, make certain the others know that you may need to excuse yourself if it is too much for you.

Call 916-791-CARE (2273) or 800-316-1987 or email,

RonHarder@HeritageOaksMC.com
JimBeeding@HeritageOaksMC.com

Call, or visit, Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel, a veteran, family-owned and operated, full service funeral home & beautiful chapel serving the areas of Rocklin, Roseville, Citrus Heights, Antelope, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Folsom, Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Davis, Granite Bay, Loomis, Auburn, and Lincoln.

           916-225-3570
   cj@cjwatterslaw.com    http://www.cjwatterslaw.com

1 Comment
Zachary Tomlinson link
1/19/2021 04:50:34 am

I had no idea that experience sudden sadness and pain after losing a loved one is called grief. One of my friends experienced this recently because of this pandemic. I should share this with her so she'd consider visiting a grief support expert for advice.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Colleen J. Watters is a dedicated estate planning and probate lawyer. She also specializes in special needs and pet care planning. A graduate of Lincoln School of Law, a member of the California State Bar since 2008, a native of Sacramento, an active volunteer with the American River Parkway Foundation and the Placer SPCA.

    Archives

    May 2019
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    November 2014

    Categories

    All
    Advanced Healthcare Directive
    Adventures
    Alzheimers
    Autism
    Beneficiary
    Business
    Business Succession Planning
    Caregiving
    Charitable Contributions
    Charitable Giving
    Cycling
    Dementia
    Divorce
    Domestic Violence
    Donating
    Elderly
    End Of Life
    Estate Planning
    Family Businesses
    Giving
    Grief
    Health Care End Of Life
    Kayaking
    LGBT
    Nursing Homes
    Pets
    Power Of Attorney
    Probate Property
    Realestate
    Safe Havens
    Saving For Education
    Seniors
    Special Needs Children
    Stress Reduction
    Trusts
    Wills
    Women

    RSS Feed

    Contact Colleen J. Watters

Submit