Losing a pet is tough because you lose more than a company, a friend, or a family, you lose a part of you and your whole world changes without them in it. The pain is not only emotional, but can expand to affect your physical well being.
Here are some of the physical symptoms of pet loss and grief, by knowing and identifying them, we hope you can handle them better.
1. Dissociation or Feeling like you are floating. Your brain is trying to protect you from feeling the grief and pain by disconnecting you from reality. Some people might feel like they are watching their life unfold in front of them, try identifying the symptoms and avoid panicking, just take some deep breath and let your brain guide you through the temporary dissociation.
2. Exhaustion: Your body needs to process the overwhelming emotions and grief, it uses huge amount of energy to make sure you survive each and every day. Fatigue is normal during this period of time.
3. Tightness is chest or stomach. Commonly known as heartache or gut grief. Studies have shown that this a a very real sensation, just remember that this happens because your pet is well-loved, and the pain might go away but the love in your heart will remain.
4. Headaches and tension in your muscles. When you face such a huge loss in your life, the emotional stress can be reflected on your physical well-being, your body response by tensing the muscles and you may experience headaches. Remember to seek professional help if needed.
It is a tough journey to go through, we understand you and encourage you to share your stories with us. Let's walk through this together!