Grief and its profound impact on mind, body and soul. Part 2

Grief is a ‘whole being’ experience, affecting every part of us: mind, body and soul. This 3-part series looks at the profound impact grief has on each of these aspects. If you missed 1 part “How Grief Affects the Mind” – read it first.

How Grief Affects the Body?

We anticipate that losing someone we love will be emotionally painful, but we don’t necessarily consider the physical ramifications. Yet these can be considerable, especially if the loss was sudden and traumatic.

Grief can affect the endocrine, immune, nervous, digestive and cardiovascular systems. And studies show that bereaved people have higher levels of inflammation compared with non-bereaved people.

It can exacerbate existing illnesses as well as contribute to new ones. Even if you’ve been in good health before your loss. The stress of grief can leave you not only more susceptible to minor illnesses. But sometimes to more serious health issues such as heart disease and cancer.

How Grief Affects Digestion and appetite

Grief can affect our appetite, and we may either lose or gain weight. It’s very common to suffer from digestive issues in early grief. This is because of the dominance of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) over the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). The body considers digestion and rest. Which is why sleep can be elusive to be less of a priority than preparing to flee from. Or fight, what the body perceives to be potentially dangerous. This is why lots of bereaved people experience a variety of IBS symptoms.

How Grief Affects Sleep and Energy

Insomnia is extremely common, especially in early grief, as is crushing fatigue. Grief is the ultimate energy vampire. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel totally exhausted when they’re grieving. Put simply, grieving takes an enormous amount of energy.

Grief and Aging Process

Unfortunately, the stress hormone cortisol can break down collagen and increase inflammation. In addition, poor sleep and diet, never mind the emotional pain we carry, will probably show on our faces. A good diet, avoiding dehydration, minimising alcohol, taking supplements that replenish nutrients that the stress of grief can deplete, and a good collagen powder can help.

The Impact of Grief on Lung Health

The lungs are often affected during bereavement. I’ve known several bereaved mothers and widows to develop bronchitis or pneumonia in early grief. In Chinese medicine the lungs are the organ associated with grief.

Broken heart syndrome

‘Broken heart syndrome’ is recognised as a very real medical condition. Scans show that the heart of someone with broken heart syndrome can look similar to the heart of someone who has heart disease. Fortunately, broken heart syndrome can usually be reversed with time. But no wonder we literally feel as though our heart is breaking, that it physically hurts, that it actually aches.

The effect of grief on the brain

Grief can interfere with our ability to think clearly. This is because cortisol floods the brain, leading to feelings of confusion, fogginess and difficulty concentrating. Thankfully, the profound effect that emotional trauma can have on the brain is now becoming more widely understood.

Grief and the nervous system

Grief makes us anxious because it highlights how uncertain life is. The nervous system controls the body’s involuntary processes. Such as breathing, heart rate, and metabolic processes but a traumatic loss can hijack its normal functioning. However, the nervous system can be consciously regulated through breathing. So breathwork is one of the best ways to help regulate your nervous system.

You may think of anxiety as a mind issue, but it can also be a body issue. What can help is to move so that the anxiety doesn’t remain trapped in the body. Walk, shake out your hands, stamp your feet, use your voice to make the Voo sound. A technique intended to help regulate the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve.

I’ll often use breathwork, somatic exercises, Havening and EFT plus nutritional therapy, alongside counselling in my grief coaching sessions. Because I know from experience that talking alone may not be enough to process our grief.

This series: Grief and its profound impact on mind, body and soul, is based on content from Vanessa’s book ‘When Grief Takes Everything: A Survival Guide to Devastating Loss’