If a family member has died, it is important to be honest about your feelings. Don’t deny your pain, or your feelings of anger and guilt. Only by examining and coming to terms with your feelings can you begin to work through them.
However good or bad a situation is now, it will change. Change won’t always be easy or obvious at first; if you learn how to embrace it, in the end it can be worth it.
For some, grief is cyclical, coming in waves, or a series of highs and lows. The lows are likely to be deeper and longer at the beginning and then gradually become shorter and less intense as time goes by.
Some people find grief comes in stages, where they experience different feelings such as denial, anger, guilt, depression, and eventually acceptance and resolution.
People are not mind readers. They won’t know you’re struggling, or how you feel, unless you speak to them about it, clearly and unambiguously so there’s no room for confusion.
Some people may not understand the depth of feeling you had for your pet, and you should never feel guilty or ashamed about grieving for an animal friend.
Given the intense bond many of us share with our animals, it’s natural to feel devastated by feelings of grief and sadness when a pet dies.
When you say sorry, you are standing up to yourself with respect. Saying sorry doesn’t mean there isn’t guilt, and forgiving doesn’t mean there isn’t pain.
You’re more than any one thing you’ve experienced. You are so much. Be kind to yourself and go after what you want.
“Don’t allow your wounds to turn you into a person you are not.” – Paulo Coelho