Beyond Loss in a Pandemic: Find Hope and Move Through Grief After Someone Close to You Dies

There are five stages of grief that an individual goes through after the loss of a loved one: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. There is no set time limit for the painful trek through these emotions. Depending on the individual and their ability to cope (not to mention their relationship to the loved one), grieving can take months or years.

In 2020, due to the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdowns that followed in its wake, and the mandated measures intended to prevent further spread, the ability to properly mourn the death of a family member/friend was thwarted. Certain states’ restrictions led to distancing at funeral homes, the fear of possibly catching COVID-19 keeping people from gathering to pay their respects. The loss of someone near and dear was compounded by the inability to pay proper respect to the dearly departed’s life in an optimal way. The restrictions also made it difficult to work through the daily grind while grieving.

The emotional lows brought on by the passing of someone close are difficult, even more so when alone. The importance of support networks (family, friends, community) can’t be emphasized enough. Author Linda Donovan stresses that even if one can’t physically assemble with your support network, the phone and the internet (i.e., Zoom) can alleviate that distance. The physical absence of the deceased shouldn’t deter the grief stricken from communicating with them, as doing so may prove cathartic. The act of writing in a journal and conveying your emotions to the loved one could buoy the spirits. Journaling can also aid in working through thoughts of anger and regret that have either been repressed or lay dormant.

No one can tell you how long your sorrow should last, as everyone handles their grief differently. The importance of not suffering in silence and being willing to show vulnerability is not a negative, as there will always be someone willing to help if you let them. The void in an individual’s life when a loved one leaves this world (by whatever means) can’t be filled, yet the individual can be able to move forward with time and effort.

Beyond Loss in a Pandemic provides alternatives for dealing with grief while not forgetting to live your own life. The author’s valuable insights have been formed through a lifetime of work and experience. This book is about a tough subject, but when handled deftly as the author does, it serves as a valuable resource for a wide audience to read.