Kubacky PsyD - Moving Through Grief

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ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-503-9 | Ebook 978-1-64152-504-6

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For everyone who struggles with grief and loss and who wants to find peace and joy again

Contents

HOW TO USE THIS WORKBOOK ON AN EBOOK DEVICE

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We all experience loss at some point. This book lights a path through the pain. In this book, youll learn effective ways of copingways that can help you move through grief. Youll learn how to stay present in the moment, how to show up in relationships, and how to move toward making your dreams come true.

When I was 13, my father died unexpectedly. My family didnt do emotions, so we pushed our grief away and quickly got on with our lives. My mom got a job and a boyfriend, I went back to school, and we cried in private. In public, it looked like nothing was wrong, even though everything had changed. None of my friends had lost a parent, and I had no role models for how to grieve. I thought I was doing all right. In retrospect, I was in deep psychological pain and had very few coping skills.

When I went off to college, I began to feel depressed and anxious. I had a hard time being present in relationships. I was fearful that anyone I liked or loved would die, too, so I didnt get close to anyone. I saw a therapist at the college counseling center and talked about my fathers passing. She helped me work through the old feelings, and I joined a grief and loss support group. Thankfully, I was able to develop better skills for coping with the grief that life inevitably holds.

Although your loss is your own, your experience of grief may be like the experience of others. Everything youre feelingan overwhelming sense of anger, despair, hopelessness, or even near paralysisis normal. You are not going crazy.

Personally, I had a lot of fear, shame, and anxiety at first. But I found supportive peoplepeople who understood griefand I learned tools for moving through my loss. I developed a strong belief in my capacity not only to cope, but also to grow through grieving. Eventually, this belief led to my career as a psychologist and certified bereavement facilitator.

Today, I want to share my tools and strategies with you, so that your life can be better and less painful. You dont have to let go of who or what you loved and miss, but you do have a choice nowa choice to become more resilient, happier, and healthier.

The most helpful way to approach this book is to work through it from beginning to end. Each chapter builds on the one before, allowing you to learn new coping skills quickly and easily. Have a notebook or journal handy for writing reflections and doing other exercises.

Reading about new skills is one thing, but theres nothing more powerful than jumping in and trying them for yourself. Throughout this book, youll find practical activities everywhere you see the phrase Try This. These skill builders will help you understand and assimilate new concepts as they are explained. For example, youll explore and write about what you value most, and you will develop a step-by-step plan to put your ideas into practice.