How Grief Can Impact Relationships

I came across this article by Fred Colby, who works with widowers, “How Grief Can Impact Relationships”. In this article, he talks about his own grief after his wife died and how he tried to isolate himself from family and friends. He didn’t want anyone to know how he was hurting and seemed to forget that his own family was grieving too.

As grievers you feel the need to be strong for others, especially your immediate family. In trying to be strong, you feel you can’t show how you are really feeling to your family and close friends.  As a result, if you are trying to hide your true feelings, you begin to isolate yourself because that is the easier thing to do.

Soon Fred realized that he needed the support of family and friends more than ever. He became aware that he could not heal by himself. As he points out, “the more isolated I became, the worse the grieving became.” As he reached out to his family and friends, they began to stay in touch with him and share the memories each of them had cherished about his wife, sometimes happy and sometimes painful. The more they shared the easier it became to work through the pain. The bonds he built with his family became stronger through their shared grief. And so, the healing process started.