Have you ever wondered why we use the word “recover” in Grief Recovery? 

According to dictionary.com recovered means, “To get back or regain something that was lost or taken away”.

What’s lost or taken away when it comes to emotional pain is the quality of your life. 

Whether you’ve been through one devastating loss or have had a lifetime of heartache, unresolved emotional pain limits the quality of your life and your capacity for happiness.

You’ve probably been there. You’re going about your life when BAM, you’re struck by a devastating event like someone dying, a break up or losing your job.

As you go on getting through each day with the crushing, emotional pain, you start living at 80% of what your life was like before, without even realizing it. 

And how could it be any different?

No one is given the correct tools for dealing with heartbreak and pain.

We all simply do what we think is best, sadly the tools we use don’t usually lead down the road to getting complete with all of the things you wish you could have said or done in regard to the relationship/event that broke your heart. 

So what happens?

Most people quickly convince themselves that 80% quality of life is 100%.

Then time goes by and you go through another big loss and now you’re living your life at 50%, accepting it as 100%. You might hear people describe it as their “new normal”. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. 

When we talk about recovery we are talking about improving the quality of your life. 

We are not saying that something is wrong with you or that you’re damaged. We are not saying that there is something wrong with you and you need to be fixed.

We are not saying that there is anything wrong with being in emotional pain. We are not saying that you can forget a person you loved that is no longer in your life. 

We use the word recovery to talk about getting something back that you lost because of your pain. We want to help you get back the quality of your life. That is our goal with the Grief Recovery Method. 

If you still don’t like the word, “recover” that’s totally okay! Don’t use it! Call it whatever you want, but please don’t let that one word get in the way of taking the actions that will have you living at 100% again. Not only will it help you, but also the people around you. 

For more help with your own grief recovery, DOWNLOAD your FREE guide, “Myths About Grief: 6 Major Concepts That Prevent You From Moving Forward.”

This article was written by Allison James from The Grief Recovery Method Institute.