Mental Health News

You might not think of this CoronaVirus Pandemic as a time of grief, but it is. Loss and grief walk hand-in-hand throughout our lives, and are present not only when a loved one dies, but also when we are forced out of our normal routines and into a brand new way of “doing life”. If we stop to think about all we’ve lost due to mandated social distancing, it becomes perfectly clear that what many of us are experiencing is grief. Which of the stages best describes where you are today? How about your partner? Your child(ren)? Please know there is no prescription for grieving, no right or wrong way to do it. It’s not a linear process. These stages are meant to be descriptive, not prescriptive, and we all do it our own way!

This stage includes feelings of shock, disbelief and/or numbness. Strangely, this can initially help you deal with the loss.

This is when the reality sinks in and we ask ourselves questions like, “Why me?” or “This isn’t fair!” Unfortunately, we often take out our anger on the people we love the most, like friends and family.

This is a time when we get into “What if...” thinking. What if the virus never came to America? What if we were still at school? What if the Prom, sports, morning meetings, recess, playing with friends after school etc. weren’t cancelled? “I’d do just about anything to have life the way it used to be.”

In her article, An Examination of the Kubler-Ross Model, Christina Gregory, PhD, writes about this stage of depression: “It represents the emptiness we feel when we are living in reality and realize the person or situation is gone or over.

Just as the title suggests, this is the time when we begin to understand, and be okay with, our new life-reality. We may not necessarily like it, but we accept it (most days!)

Please remember that even though you may hit the Acceptance stage one day, you can easily return to any of the other stages. That is normal and moving through the stages can last a long time, if not a lifetime.

• Text 741741

• Call 800-576-7764

• Domestic Violence Help Line 800-799-7233

• 911

Local Counseling Resources (Working with clients virtually at this time)

• Consejo Counseling and Referral Service in Graham (253) 285-4750

Healing Hearts Counseling in Eatonville (253) 254-9147

EHS - Maryann Baker - M.Baker@eatonville.wednet.edu
EHS - Rebecca Stoker - r.stoker@eatonville.wednet.edu
EHS - Anne Malver - A.Malver@eatonville.wednet.edu
EMS - Anisa Parks - a.parks@eatonville.wednet.edu
EES - Jana McIlraith - j.mcilraith@eatonville.wednet.edu
WES - Rebecca Stoker - r.stoker@eatonville.wednet.edu
CCA - Jessica Sotl - j.sotl@eatonville.wednet.edu