Let out those emotions and seek support in grieving
We often experience sadness, shock, loneliness, and guilt when we lose a pet. With the loss, we feel there was more we could have done, and we feel like we have failed our pet. Here’s how you can cope with the grief of losing a piece of your heart.
Various studies have shown that most people consider their pet a family member, but society often doesn’t recognize this. They don’t understand that people need to take time and allow space to grieve the loss of a pet like any other family member. On the loss of our pet,we struggle to adjust to our new normal. Life feels empty, and we feel lost. It’s as if our world has stopped, but everything else continues.
While pet insurers and veterinarians provide the best care for pets during their life, pet parents are often left alone to cope after the loss of their pet. Recognizing this gap, we developed our 24-hour pet grief service to provide compassionate, evidence-based resources, support, and comfort to help navigate the loss of a beloved pet.
Grief – a personal journey
The expression of grief is unique to the individual and the loss. There aren’t set guidelines to follow. It’s just doing what makes you feel less hurt and more at peace with yourself. Some people cry, draw, listen to music, talk to someone, meditate, exercise, or do any other activity that allows emotional respite. And some find ways to memorialize and celebrate their pet who has crossed the rainbow bridge.
The delicate ability to deal with trauma
Oddly enough, one of the best ways to deal with loss is to feel it. Many people tend to push down their emotions in hopes that they will stop feeling like they do. Unfortunately, this leads to more significant issues. Simply giving yourself a few minutes to feel the hurt and then moving on with your day (even if it happens repeatedly) provides us the ability to gain emotional control. Be kind to yourself and show yourself compassion – to say the loss of a pet is complex is an understatement.
We consider pets as our family, so the loss of one should also be given the same consideration as the loss of any family member. Pet parent should be given the needed support to process their grief and remember their beloved pet!
Our endeavours to help
24hrpetgrief.com helps those who are grieving the loss of their pet, by being a safe place for them. We provide a platform where pet parents can feel heard and understood. We don’t judge, we don’t question, and we don’t minimize. We assist in guiding pet parents through the grieving process by helping them understand what they are feeling and why they are feeling as they are. We offer 24 hours phone support and guidance, we provide required resources, and we are in the process of starting monthly online support groups as well.
Overcoming grief in children and elderly
Grief in children and elderly is the same as for everyone else. Children may not fully grasp the concept of death, but they do understand what loss feels like. Helping them recognize why they feel as they areis a healthy way of assisting them to heal. For both the elderly and the young, you can offer support and comfort through listening, understanding what has happened, and helping them remember and honor their pet.
Pets provide significant health and wellness benefits to the elderly and are a constant source of companionship, playing an essential role in fighting loneliness for them. This importance can cause a profound loss, impacting elderly people’s physical and mental health. It is important to recognize this impact before the situation goes out of hand.
Grieving doesn’t make you imperfect; it makes you human!
The loss of a pet upturns your entire world. You lose your best friend – the one family member that was always there no matter the circumstance. We lose the feeling of unconditional love, and with our primary source of comfort gone, we feel isolated and withdrawn from others. These resulting feelings can lead to depression and anxiety if not worked through properly. Our 24-hour pet grief service aspires to offer pet parents the support, resources, and expertise needed to navigate this difficult time with a compassionate, here-when-you-need-us approach. We believe one should not have to suffer alone.
(Kristie Cochran LMHC, NCC is a licensed mental health counsellor with supervision, training, and compliance expertise. She is amidst the founding team at 24hrpetgrief.com)