CHARACTERISTICS OF POWERLESSNESS
OVER GRIEF AND LOSS

Grief and Loss Anonymous

1. Preoccupation With What We Have Lost – We constantly think about the person or thing that was lost, leading to difficulty focusing on other aspects of our life.

2. Avoidance of New Relationships or Experiences – We fear that doing so would betray the memory of what was lost or that history would painfully repeat itself.

3. Emotional Numbing – Our relentless focus on what we have lost suppressed our emotions, disconnecting us from ourself and others.

4. Idealization of the Lost – We view what we have lost through an overly positive lens, often minimizing any of its flaws or challenges.

5. Self-Isolation – We withdraw from social connections to continue privately focusing on our grief and not be confronted with reminders of moving on.

6. Inability to Imagine the Future – We are unable to envision or plan for a future that doesn’t include what we have lost.

7. Seeking Substances or Behaviors for Comfort – We use substances and behaviors to soothe our pain, sometimes leading to addictive behavior.

8. Guilt or Self-Blame – We feel responsible for our loss or feel guilty for not being able to “move on.”

9. Obsessive Revisiting of Memories – We obsessively revisit photos, places, or items associated with our loss, reinforcing our sadness and pain.

10. Physical Symptoms – We experience sleeplessness, fatigue, or even panic attacks as physical manifestations of our grief.

11. Attachment to Pain – We become attached to our grief, fearing letting go of it would mean losing our connection to what we have lost.

12. Resistance to Closure – We avoid rituals, conversations, or personal growth work to create closure, believing doing so would minimize the importance of our loss.