words Alexa Wang
While grief is considered to be an incredibly difficult process and one that has multiple stages, there are no hard and fast rules about how each individual will react to loss.
Even the definition of grief is relatively vague, as it describes an emotional response to the loss of a loved one and can incorporate a diverse range of feelings.
But what might you experience during grief, and how can the concept of ‘grief travel’ help you to overcome this?
What Emotions Define Grief?
The seven stages of grief are centred around a number of different emotions, which can vary in terms of how they manifest in individuals and their extent.
Initial emotions include shock and denial, for example, while they may also be followed by feelings of anger and sadness. The transition between these feelings can be challenging too, as you may experience significant mood swings during the formative days and weeks of grief.
Understanding these emotions and their general sequence is extremely important, as this can provide a degree of comfort and guide through the various stages of grief.
What is Grief Travel?
Acceptance is key to coping with grief, as is affording yourself time to process your loss and ensuring a complete psychological recovery.
The concept of grief travel can help with the latter, as it describes a scenario in which you head overseas and spend an indefinite period of time travelling and exploring different corners of the world.
There’s a certain mindlessness to this, while it can help to distract from the challenges of grief and everyday life as you look to process emotional hardship.
Of course, if you’re waiting to inherit a portion of the deceased’s estate and are required to pay tax on your funds, you may find it hard to fund an overseas trip. Fortunately, you can apply for a sizable inheritance advance in this case, creating a manageable and short-term debt cycle that’s repaid once you receive your inheritance.
What are the Benefits of Grief Travel?
In this context, travel can provide your head the space and time to process how you’re feeling, while removing you from the stresses of work and everyday life.
In this respect, it removes many of the barriers that prevent you from processing loss or merely distract you from the issues, creating a more reflective mindset that can deal with a wide-ranging scope of emotions.
Grief travel also provides a physical escape from the realities of grief and loss, which may be particularly important if people rely on you as a source of strength during difficult times.
Overall, grief travel can deliver a far greater perspective on life and loss, perhaps helping you to view your own experiences through a more realistic lens.
The key is to plan trips and travel experiences that suit your own personal tastes and preferences, while also reflecting your state of mind and the stage of grief that you’re experiencing at that time.
This ensures that you get the most out of grief travel, and are able to use the time to process your deepest and darkest feelings.
