Slow Down

I belong to several Facebook support groups for parents who have lost children and one of the things a lot of people have mentioned is a lack of energy in early grief. Many relate that before the loss of their child they were very productive and able to get so much accomplished in a day and now, they lack energy and are tired all the time. Grieving is hard work and requires a lot of emotional energy which leaves less energy for doing the things we use to do. I also think that after such a traumatic experience our mind and body try to protect us by slowing things down. It is almost like you are in some sort of fog or numbness. I noticed this after the death of my daughter. This feeling helped me to get through the funeral preparations and the funeral and all of the other intense triggers you experience immediately after the loss of a child. It is after this numbness began to subside that I again began to experience the intense pain of early grief again. I guess what I'm trying to say is try and not be too hard on yourself for things that don't get done. Give yourself plenty of time to rest and just do whatever you can to get a little relief from the intense pain of early grief. The goal is to just make it through the day.