Grief affects relationships

Have you found that the way you cope with grief is different from the way your spouse or siblings are coping? It is not uncommon for mourners to find that grief affects relationships. During periods of bereavement, tension is added to relationships.  Stress and grief bring out the best and worst in our relationships with others. Even the strongest relationships can be strained by grief and stress.

It is not uncommon for you or your partner to feel that your needs are changing, or that you aren’t being heard, or just that the relationship is not meeting your needs.

For even the strongest couples, grief affects relationships

Grief affects every area of your life, including your marriage, your relationships with your siblings and with your children, and your relationships with your friends. Grieving is part of the healing process, and we all need this period to work through our feelings of loss.

Just when we need emotional support the most, during a period of bereavement, many relationships experience increased strain, conflict and emotional distance.

Compassionate listening, without offering advice or judgement, allows those we love to be able to do the hard work of mourning. 

When you suffer a loss, the range of emotions that you experience can be quite large. The feelings your partner experiences during this period will, quite naturally, not always be synchronized with your own feelings. Grief is incredibly personal, and the different ways that people process grief can exacerbate the disconnect that you and your partner feel while grieving. To help your relationship weather the grieving process it’s helpful to be both compassionate to yourself as well as your partner.  Relationships can be strengthened when we recognize that our partner’s way of coping with grief may be quite different from our way.

By recognizing and respecting your partner’s grief  you can make your relationship closer than ever, while providing your partner with the support that he or she needs.

Couples therapy may be able to help your relationship navigate a period of bereavement

Reach out to Dani for help for support in communicating and connecting in new ways through this difficult period. Dani can work with you alone, or you can come in together for couples therapy with your spouse, partner, or sibling.

Call to make an appointment, or just fill out the contact form and click Send.