If you have lost a loved one during the coronavirus pandemic, the restrictions around funerals and social contact may make the situation especially difficult. Here are some practical ways to take care of yourself, or help a grieving family member or friend.
Dealing with a bereavement is one of the most challenging things any of us will ever go through. And during lockdown, it has potential to be even more gruelling than it would be under normal circumstances.
Whether your loved one died of coronavirus itself, or from a different cause, the rules around funerals and social distancing might seem like an additional twist of the knife. If you can’t meet with friends and family members, or hold a ‘proper’ funeral, you may feel cheated out of the normal grieving process.
“At a time when our world has been flipped upside down by the death of a loved one, the whole world has changed and there is no longer any normality on a personal or global level,” says Lucy Nicholas, a bereavement counsellor at Sue Ryder. “For the recently bereaved, the inability to have physical contact with people can be so very difficult. Having to stand two metres away from a loved one who is sharing your grief can feel particularly cruel and difficult to bear.”
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