Financial Loss, Grief & Resilience

Financial loss is not only about money

You may wonder if people can actually experience grief over losing their job and their income, or losing money or assets from a bad investment, or a business collapse. The truth is that we grieve over any kind of loss. Because we are accustomed to think of grief as something that only occurs when we lose a loved one, we may not acknowledge the very real grief that is felt when other kinds of losses occur in our life.

Financial Loss can lead to many mixed feelings – confusion, anger, blame, guilt, embarrassment, sadness and more.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU COPE AND MANAGE YOUR GRIEF.

1. Allow yourself to feel grief, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. ‘Big boys don’t cry’ is out-dated thinking.

2. Talk to someone about it, like a friend you trust. You don’t have to have all the answers yourself. A counsellor may be the right person. Now is the time to lean on others for support.

3. Check your thinking. You can re-hash the problem over and over, you can keep beating up on yourself or others or you can consciously choose to replace unhelpful thoughts with a positive slant. Replace “I’m hopeless” with “I’m resourceful. I can get through this.” Replace “I’m a failure” with “I’m capable and successful, I have a track record to prove this.”

A crisis can often bring out unexpected gifts in our lives. People often find they have more courage than they believed possible. They find strength they never knew existed. They see support and friendship that sometimes comes from sources they least expected. Even though it’s hard, they bounce back and find they are able to re-group and reinvent themselves or their business. They see new opportunities that they would not otherwise have considered. They learn they can survive even the darkest moments of their life.

We can find a lesson in all of life’s crises – even those which turn our world upside down. You can learn from your mistakes. When finances are strained, you can learn the joys of simpler living. Families can learn to pull together and help each other.

Remember the lessons from past challenges which you have faced. You already know there is no magic wand that will fix things for you, but now is the time to employ your business skills of problem solving, planning, creative thinking, brainstorming, networking . . . start somewhere and take heart from knowing you have overcome challenges before.

Information in this post is based on our self care helpsheet by Doris Zagdanski, a leading figure in modern day grief and loss education. Her seminars are included in vocational qualifications in Allied Health, Counselling and Funeral Directing. Her books and free factsheets are available at www.allaboutgrief.com.
See the full help-sheet here.

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