Grief-A Tangled Ball of Emotions

Someone posted this image yesterday on Facebook-they had received a copy in a therapy session and found it a helpful way to picture grief.  

I wanted to share it because perhaps you may find it helpful as well.  ❤

I think it’s one of the very best ways to think about grief for several reasons:

• First, it accurately represents the many emotions that are part of grief and loss–it’s not “just” sorrow or missing-it is so many other things as well.  And some of those emotions catch me off guard because I don’t always recognize them as grief-related.
• Second, it illustrates how tangled and interwoven these emotions can be. Teasing out where one feeling begins and ends is really hard.  Separating a single emotional strand can be almost impossible.
• Third, emotions experienced in the grieving process are not necessarily sequential.  There’s no certain charted course through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  My experience may be very different from yours in terms of what I feel and when I feel it.
• Finally, the sphere is a perfect representation of how my feelings may circle back around again and again as new experiences post-loss remind me of yet another part of life that has been impacted by my son’s unexpected and untimely death.

Author: Melanie

I am a shepherd, wife and mother of four amazing children, three that walk the earth with me and one who lives with Jesus. This is a record of my grief journey and a look into the life I didn't choose. If you are interested in joining a community of bereaved parents leaning on the promises of God in Christ, please like the public Facebook page, "Heartache and Hope: Life After Losing a Child" and join the conversation. View all posts by Melanie