Grief and COVID-19: Part 1

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Quote the Raven: Ana Hill
Bachelor of Health Sciences

Ana Hill

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an exceptionally difficult time for everyone, and with social distancing, quarantine and lockdowns becoming familiar terms, many people find themselves grieving the loss of a number of different things. Typically, when we hear the word ‘grieving’, we often think about the loss of a loved one and not necessarily the loss of other aspects of our lives, however during COVID-19, this has not been the case. It is very normal to grieve the loss of normal routine, stability and the loss of close connections, especially when an event such as a pandemic occurs. In terms of grief during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are two common types that someone may experience. Both types of grief are normal to experience and accept.

Common Types of Grief

Ambiguous grief is a type of grief which creates the feeling of confusion, disorientation and lack of closure. Ambiguous grief is common during this pandemic especially because we may feel like we are losing our sense of direction and don’t have closure due to the constant changing of circumstances in both Canada and the world. The pandemic may have changed many life plans shifting our ability to finish school, our ability to find a job, our ability to make an income or even changing plans for your future, causing the feeling of anxiety, confusion and lack of direction.

Anticipatory grief is the second type of grief and this occurs in response to us forecasting the loss of something in our lives. Although we are almost a year into the pandemic there is still the fear and anticipatory grief that the situation may worsen or more lockdowns and shutdowns may occur. This type of grief can also be seen when worrying about plans in the future being cancelled or important life milestones such as graduation being put off. Experiencing this and feeling this type of grief is normal and should be recognized.

Signs of Grief During COVID-19

There are many different feelings and signs that someone may experience when it comes to grieving over the loss of something during COVID-19. These feelings and emotions are normal to experience and may be different in everyone. The most common signs of grief are anxiety, stress, shock, sadness and denial.

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