5 Steps To Help You Work Through Anticipatory Grief & Grief Bursts

Pet Loss & GriefSenior Years & End-Of-LifeVideo

Sep 6

Anticipatory grief is the grief you experience as you reconcile yourself with an anticipated loss, in this case, the death of a pet. Anticipatory grief is often experienced as your pet enters their senior years and can be heightened with an illness or disease diagnosis. Anticipatory grief encompasses the emotions of sadness, anger, frustration, depression, anxiety, and fear like any other form of grief.

Grief Bursts

One way anticipatory grief can manifest itself is in grief bursts. Grief bursts are instances when you unexpectedly become overwhelmed with emotions. And although grief bursts can cause significant discomfort because of their unpredictable nature, they play an important role in processing your grief. It is important to note that grief bursts are not isolated to just anticipatory grief. All forms of grief can manifest as grief bursts.

5 Steps To Help You Work Through Your Grief Bursts:

Acknowledge and name your emotion. By naming your emotion, you create separateness from that emotional state. When unexpectedly overcome by intense emotion, it can be helpful to remind yourself of this separateness (this helps solidify step 4).
Decide whether you need to leave and find a quiet place or if you can stay where you are.
GROUND -Take a deep breath and push your feet into the ground - this helps keep you in your body and more present in your environment.
Remind yourself that this feeling is only temporary. Say to yourself, "I am ok. I am having a grief burst; this will pass". This is the most powerful step to working through a grief burst. By acknowledging the temporary nature of your emotions, you help your brain move through them more easily and acceptably. It also helps to settle your nervous system by feeling like you are more in the driver's seat of your emotions.
Take a few deep breaths and recollect yourself.

Lastly, thank your grief burst for helping you release and heal your pain.

Anticipatory grief is the mixed emotions you feel at the start when you begin to face the mortality of your beloved pet. Your grief bursts are helping you by releasing emotions a little bit at a time. Be gentle with yourself and tender with your heart when you experience one.