Real Hope: GriefSample

Social Grief

I was recently talking with someone in their 20s who had recognized that she was experiencing a general, almost nebulous, sense of grief from the constant awareness of all the grievous things happening in the world. We talked about the validity of that experience as a result of being bombarded with immediate images of world events through social media in a way that was not experienced by previous generations. The increase in details given in the news along with the intensity of speculative news and the concerns about fake news have all risen to a frenzied pitch in the context of the confronting and disruptive global pandemic. The resulting social grief is real. So how can we navigate this strange terrain of grief?

Grief is always associated with loss, so the place to start is asking what has been lost. The bewilderment and disorientation that is common in grief is also common in social grief, as are emotional responses. This is a time to learn a new level of compassion for each other as we explore the unique and universal grief we’re trying to navigate.

Each of us could do well to recognize anger as a common grief response. To be self-aware enough to monitor our anger and to use the energy of it in constructive ways is something we could all learn to do better.

We can find a sense of rest in our grief knowing that our "tossings" matter to God, our tears are treasured and gathered in a bottle, and our grief is written in God’s book.

Written by Kath Henry

Want more? Check out the Real Hope Conversations Podcast and delve deeper into our conversation about Grief. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.