Life Events That Trigger Grief
There are many life events that bring with them an element of grief…
- Death of your spouse
- Death of your life partner
- Death of your betrothed
- Death of your child
- Death of your sibling
- Death of a parent
- Death of a stepparent
- Death of a family member
- Death of a close friend
- Death of former spouse/partner
- Death of a co-worker
- Death of your pet
- Death of your business
The death of a close loved one is not the only type of significant loss that we can experience. The following list is long, but worth the read.
More Life Events That Can Trigger Grief
- Your divorce
- Your parents’ divorce
- Your child’s divorce
- Parent remarrying
- Marriage of child
- Your remarriage
- Loss of employment
- Change in work responsibilities
- Job relocation
- Retirement
- Negative change in your health
- Negative change in a loved one’s health
- Loved one in Hospice
- Legal issues
- Incarcerated
- Negative change in financial state
- Foreclosure
- Empty nest
- Adult child moving back home
- Rejection by in-laws
- Selling your home
- Abandoned by parents/family
- Your placement in Foster Care
- Your parents Parental Rights terminated
- Your child placed in Foster Care
- Your parental rights terminated
- Your Foster Child returned to biological parent(s)
- Your Foster Child adopted into a family other than yours
- Placing your child for adoption
- Your grandchild placed for adoption
- Closed adoption
- Open adoption
- Disabled child—Loss of the dream(s) you had for your child
- Changing churches
- Changing schools
- Moving to a different home
- Abortion—Forbidden Grief
- Suicide
- Medical personnel grieving the loss of a patient(s).
- First responder grieving the loss of an accident victim(s).
- Students grieving the loss of a fellow student(s).
- Wanted change
- Loss of trust
- Loss of safety
- Loss of what could have been
- Loss of normality
- Lost Connections
- Government Lock Down/Loss of freedom
Also check out the list from the Grief Recovery Institute
Healing forward Action Step
Make a list of all of the significant types of loss that you have had to deal with in your life. Sometimes it’s helpful to make a timeline. The purpose of the exercise is to get you to thinking about how how much healing that you have already accomplished in your lifetime. And possibly to identify a few areas of significant loss that need more healing–areas that need a little more attention/work. Grief Work. The point is that you are healing in your own way and on your own personal healing timetable. Roll with it and keep putting one foot in front of the other and healing.
Learn more about healing in my book. It’s all about you healing!
