Bereavement, Loss and Grief

Bereavement is a state of intense grief, after the loss of a loved one. This may be the first time someone in your life has died. And that can be hard, especially if you’re facing many other ups and downs.

Grief is the feelings and emotions you experience when someone dies. It’s normal to experience grief. But how it affects you and how long it lasts depends on many things including your personality, your family background, how the person died and your previous experience of death. Your relationship with the person will also have an effect, depending on how close you were.

Allowing yourself to grieve can be very helpful, whether it’s having a good cry or talking about the person who died. There are no short cuts, and no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to feel, think or behave. If you have brothers and sisters, they may cope differently to you. Don’t worry, this is fine. Everyone has their own way of coping, but some ways can be less helpful in the long run.

Your feelings and thoughts

Grief affects us all differently. At first you may feel your world has been shattered - things you do, people you see and places you go may seem strange and unfamiliar. Little things may remind you of the person who died and it can be hard to think about anything else. Some young people have said they feel a loss of control, which can be frightening, although it’s very common.

If you’re worried about how you feel or if your feelings become overwhelming it can help to share them. Our Chaplain, Mr Rutter, will be happy to talk to you. The Child Bereavement Charity, Cruse Bereavement Care, or Grief Encounter can also help. Alternatively you can email our wellbeing mailbox wellbeing@christs.school. All emails are treated with the strictest confidence.