Dealing with Death
Death is always a difficult topic to discuss - whether we are mourning someone in our own lives, or trying to comfort others who have lost someone. Even if death is 'expected' - as in, someone is ill and we expect them to pass shortly - it is always 'unexpected'. We do not know exactly when someone will pass away, and it always feels 'too soon'. As a doctor, I have faced death on multiple occasions - both in my personal life and in my professional life. Episode 3 of my podcast discusses this is more detail. I am by no means a grief counsellor...but as a human being and professional who has had to comfort others - and myself - in situations of loss, here are some pearls I have gleamed. 1) When death occurs, acknowledge that is has happened. It is natural to go through some stages of grief, including denial, bargaining, acceptance, etc. Ross and Kessler describe these in more detail. Essentially, it is okay if you cannot yet 'handle' the fact that some