Grief Over a Loss

by Janine Robinson Anderson

Description This memoir began years ago during my college years at UNC-Chapel Hill and Asheville as a psychology student for a thesis paper written in 1994. What was a class assignment became a life journey on the experiences of grief. Excerpts from my original thesis were later published by Dr. Ann L. Weber, a professor at UNC-Asheville, in her book Breaking Up.This work offers an in-depth personal analysis of the complex emotion of my grief and its impact on my life direction, emotional stability, growth, recovery, and ability to handle future losses and overcome grief by writing and telling my story. It explores the causes and manifestations of grief, emphasizing that it results from various forms of loss, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, the end of a relationship, "accidents," loss of health, job or career changes, loss of safety or security, even being in a state of limbo, loss of identity, or other significant life changes or impactful life experiences.The memoir delves into the stages of grief, a concept popularized in psychological literature, and how individuals navigate through grief differently. It discusses therapeutic approaches and the significance of music's role in grief, the effectiveness of journaling and writing, and my own personal reflection on sad songs, unique coping methods, storytelling, and writing to get through the stages of grief faster.It highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, friendships, support groups, and professional help in navigating this challenging emotional journey through grief to recovery and positive change.This book includes dedicated sections of two similar but different perspectives of age, time, and place, about personal losses, the grief and sadness, recovery and change they've experienced, and its impact upon their young lives. There is Always Hope.Janine R. Anderson, Copyright 2024