Stress sometimes comes out of nowhere. You may find that you’ve recently become easily distracted or angry for seemingly no reason. In some cases, this stress may come from grief. Over the past couple of years, the world has experienced collective grief. According to one expert, everyone should understand the stages of grief to better navigate post-pandemic life.
Editors from the Harvard Business Review recently interviewed David Kessler, the leading expert on grief. The article covers Kessler’s thoughts on the importance of acknowledging grief. He points out that grief doesn’t just occur from the death of a loved one. Grief can occur when things in your life change, such as a change of careers. The anticipation of change or loss can also cause grief.
Anticipatory grief is the grief that occurs from the anticipation of loss. It’s a common feeling that typically occurs when the future is uncertain. Kessler believes that everyone should acknowledge the five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. Acceptance allows you to move forward with less weight on your shoulders. You can build greater confidence and resilience.
Kessler also explains that anticipatory grief is really just anxiety. You’re anxious about the future. Focusing on the present can help ease these anxieties. He also recommends letting go of what you can’t control. This makes it easier to focus on what you can control in the present.
Along with control, Kessler believes in the importance of compassion. Showing compassion for yourself and others can help reduce fear and grief. It’s also important to keep trying. The stages of grief can occur in any order. There’ll be times when your negative feelings are too great. Instead of falling into a pit of despair, keep showing compassion and control.
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NLP offers several powerful methods for dealing with grief and related symptoms. NLP takes positive psychology to another level by helping you understand and control emotions. You can look for positive outcomes where you previously only saw negative ones. Common techniques for grief, fear, and anxiety include reframing, anchoring, and discovering positive intent.
Reframing is useful for finding opportunities in situations that previously brought grief. You can find the silver lining in anything by reframing it with a positive outlook. With reframing, you identify a thought you want to change. You then look for positive intentions to reframe your thoughts. Anchoring is another technique that puts you in control of your emotions. It is a form of conditioning that helps you trigger specific responses in stressful situations. For example, you can learn to recall a favourite memory when a stressful event occurs.
Fear of losing something can lead to profound stress and limit your mental stamina. NLP provides solutions for dealing with each stage of grief, allowing the stress to melt away. You can learn to let go of the past and gain greater acceptance. To learn more, explore my one-to-one coaching services and online courses at https://thinklearnsucceed.com.au