Grief and heartbreak can mean many different things. It can mean not having the motivation to complete anything, struggling to complete certain tasks, or being so overpowered by an event in life that it causes immense sadness.
Grief and heartbreak is a topic people normally don’t talk about often. Some people avoid the topic because they feel it’s too personal. Others avoid it because they are taught to not show a public display of sadness.
Everyone goes through different types of grief, such as a loved one passing, a break up, or just feeling upset. Grief and heartbreak is known to be bad and traumatic, but sometimes, it can be positive.
Senior William Erwin stated, “I think grief and heartbreak is good because it teaches people that the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and bad things can happen to good people. It helps people be ready for the world.”
At Carolina Forest High School, we have many counselors that help our students get through their grief and heartbreak. Our lead counselor, Kim Napolitano is always helping students and making sure they are okay.
“It is 100% understandable that people want to do things to try to numb and remove the pain of the loss. Many people (not just teens) look for quick ways to escape grief. The only problem with that is that it often causes more problems.The person now has to deal with the feeling/pain of the loss. As I mentioned, one should not make any major decisions or emotional decisions during this time as it might not be the decision that they would have made once they have settled in the grief,” added Napolitano.
People cope and handle grief and heartbreak in many different ways. Every person deals with how they get through their trauma differently. Some people like to go look at scenery, listen to music, or watch their favorite comfort movie.
Senior Ryleigh Wakefield mentioned, “I deal with grief by reflecting on how I feel through my own writings. I tend to become emotionally silent, and I try to break that habit by writing down how I feel about the subject. This helps me process my emotions and feelings much easier and healthier.”
Many teenagers don’t know how to handle or overcome the challenges they encounter in their lives.
“It’s important to remember that grief is not linear. One does not move from one phase to another and then it’s over. Grief is fluid. People move through the experience of grief throughout the remainder of their life. Sometimes it’s not as prevalent or present, and other times while it might be months or years later, it can feel like it just happened. Special memories, events, routines, anniversaries, can all trigger someone to feel the grief more prevalent,” Napolitano stated.
Grief and heartbreak can truly affect one’s life. It’s how you overcome the challenges that shape you. Sometimes it can be hard to get through the tough times but there is always a way to get through it, even if you need to ask someone for help.
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