The death of a person we love can be a serious blow to anyone. The sadness that is experienced can be very difficult for the sufferer as it can affect a person’s physical and emotional health . Unfortunately, many companies wait for their workers to return to their jobs ready to resume their normal activities even if they feel heavy hearts.
If you have to go back to work but feel great grief over the loss of a loved one, then read on so you can cope with your grief with healthy practices after saying goodbye to your loved one at their funeral or burial.
Don’t assume that others know you suffer
Don’t assume your coworkers know you’re hurting when you go back to work. Companies handle these matters in a clumsy way because death makes us feel uncomfortable and on many occasions we do not even know what to say and things are said that do not make sense or do not say anything at all.
Do not think that your boss has told your colleagues that your absence was caused by the death of your loved one, because there will probably be people who do not know anything about what has happened. So if you want others to know, you must say it yourself and communicate your current state of mind. In order not to have to relive the pain, you can do it in different ways:
-Throught social media
-Email or phone calls
-Tell your boss to tell others in your absence
-Invite the colleagues you want to know by having a coffee before returning to work
-Ask a trusted partner to tell others on your behalf
-Carry out a meeting with the most significant colleagues before starting work
-By WhatsApp groups
In this way, by communicating it to your colleagues, some will be able to help you to be better while you are grieving. You can tell them that they can talk about it or express their condolences if they want to , or that when you return to work they will not mention the loss to you for a while. There is no right or wrong way to do things, so the choice is yours depending on how you feel better in each specific case.
He has an escape plan
When you return to work if you need to show your emotions do it. You are not a robot, you are a person with feelings, do not want to hide your grief . Your pain will appear when you least expect it and can trigger sadness and tears despite your efforts to avoid them … and it is totally normal.
This is the challenging and insidious nature of grief after someone we love dies. Any small stimulus can trigger your feelings, such as the scent of a particular perfume. It is not possible to anticipate everything that could trigger your grief once you return to work, so you need to plan how to handle the times when your response to loss will interfere with how you want to act. If you find yourself crying suddenly, for example, where is the closest bathroom, stairwell, exit, or private space that you could use while you compose again if you need it?
If you start to feel sad about the death of your loved one during the workday, could you wait until break, lunchtime, or the end of the workday? Would your company temporarily allow you to work from home (telecommuting), go later or leave earlier for a while, or allow you to leave the workplace for 10 to 20 minutes if you start to feel unwell?
You should allow yourself to cry or be sad because it is normal and natural in the grieving process. Think about where you could do it but don’t fight to avoid it.
