As we continue to fight through what seems like an uphill battle, many of us are still adjusting to the many forms of loss caused by COVID-19. With changes being made daily, people all around the world are now being forced to grieve the loss of normalcy. “While the death of a loved one or friend due to the virus is significant and traumatic,” says Dr. Michael Kocet, Department Chair, Counselor Education. “There are other types of losses and grief that people can experience: loss of control, loss of security and safety, job loss, grief due to the inability to participate in rituals like commencement and graduation ceremonies …weddings postponed.”
When someone loses a loved one to the virus, they can experience what Dr. Kocet defines as a complicated mourning. Since we are still practicing social distancing, the grieving process is more difficult during this time.
“In the case of COVID19, relatives and friends may not be able to gather at a funeral home or attend a memorial service.”
In highly populated cities, there has been an increased amount of deaths caused by the coronavirus, yet the funerals, burials, and traditional sense of comfort that are usually received during a time of grief have been taken away for the immediate future. Although social distancing is a useful solution for slowing the spread of the virus, it has also resulted in many people not being able to receive closure from losses that are occurring right now. For this reason, we now have to find new ways to say goodbye to the people and things we care about.
Our ability to support each other in a time of need is not the same as before, yet this time of uncertainty has also shown us how resilient we can be. There are several ways people are adjusting to the sudden changes. Many are creating new rituals to honor their grief and loss, while others are choosing to share memories and stories about their loved ones on social media. In a nod to technology, some people are using video chat to allow grievers to virtually attend funerals. Although untraditional, these modern ways of grieving do provide an opportunity to start healing parts of their lives that they won’t get back.
Further reading:
American Psychology Association
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