Kevin lost his wife of 25 years to cancer and found it hard to accept even though he knew it was coming; Jane had been battling the illness for several years. When Jane died, Kevin felt completely numb of any feelings; he felt he could not connect with anyone and was even unable to cry at her funeral. Kevin felt guilty for feeling like this and for not opening up. He was worried that family members and friends might think he did not care about losing Jane.
A Complete Change of Life
Kevin's life and routine had been turned upside down. He had spent so many months caring for his wife that he not only endured the loss of his wife and best friend, but also the loss of his routine. He felt like his whole world had imploded. After feeling like this for several weeks, Kevin became very depressed. He had no motivation to do anything. What was the point in anything anymore?
Fortunately, at his lowest mood, Kevin reached out for help and accessed Darlington Mind's Adult Counselling Service. He received counselling sessions to help him to work through his emotions, and this enabled him to start to think of a new life. Something to look forward to. Some hope for a new chapter of his life.
Brighter Times Ahead
Kevin will never forget the 25 years he spent with his wife Jane and, while the feelings of loss have been incredibly hard for him, he is now starting to think back to the good times they shared. He has opened up to his family and friends and has started to engage with some of his old hobbies like painting. Learning how to use social media and smartphone apps has enabled him to better connect with family and friends.
Kevin still has a way to go on his journey through grief; he has good days and occasional bad days, although the bad days are getting less. He is very pleased with the progress he has made over the course of a few weeks and thanked us for our support.
How to Get Help
We know it's never easy to talk about the tough stuff, especially when you are enduring grief around the death of a loved one. Here at Darlington Mind, we want you to know that we are here for you to do just that. We can help you work through painful and difficult thoughts, feelings, emotions and issues around dealing with grief.
You may not want to talk straight away. That's okay. When you are ready, we will be a listening ear to help you.