The importance of community for people who have lost a loved one

A healthy and supportive environment is of a crucial value for every human being, but we especially need in the dark times of our lives.

Let’s see why the community is so important for everyone who has lost a loved one and how can it help us in the grieving process.

1. Carrying grief alone is often too heavy for us. Walking through life in the fog is how I would explain grief to those who haven’t experienced it yet. You try to connect to the world, but it often seems impossible. By having your own grieving community, you don’t feel that alone and have someone who can understand what you are going through. Discover more about so-called bereaved parent’s stigma here.
2. The healing power. Shared experience truly has healing powers. When you feel like you are seen and heard, and when you share your experience with other bereaved parents, you not only feel comforted, but also like you’re helpful, which is crucial in those heavy times.
3. Validation. You get the message that what you are feeling is completely real and that heavy as you cannot describe to other people who haven’t experienced such a loss in their life. You also understand that every bereaved parent feels the same, so you don’t feel weird and understand that your feelings are natural and valid.
4. You can express yourself in a needed way. A grieving community is a safe place where you can express yourself.
5. Hope for the future. You’ll meet many bereaved parents who are on the different path of their grieving journey. And yes, they can bring hope for the future and comfort you that the darkest days will pass.
6. Breaking the silence. In many cultures around the globe, it is still believed that you should grieve alone when you lose a child. It’s somehow too heavy for others to even acknowledge that it can happen. With a community, you will break that silence. No, you don’t have to grieve alone and stay away from the world so ”you don’t ruin their happiness.”
7. Grieving together is often easier. There will be many many truly hard moments. Find a healthy community that will help you to overcome hard times.