How To Grieve When You Lost Your College Professor

How To Grieve When You Lost Your College Professor

College is one of the chapters in your life where you get to meet people. You may meet the man or woman of your dreams in college. Reconnecting with an old friend is also quite possible on campus. Meeting professors that bring impact, inspiration, and motivation into your lives is also very common during college.

Teachers contribute not only to the academic learning of their students. They also help build a student’s personality and belief, nurturing them to be better people and pushing them to achieve their full potential. Most students find a mentor or a second parent in the teachers they meet in college. But what if this teacher dies? How can a student recover from the emotional pain and stress of losing someone important to them?

Grieving And Accepting The Lost Of A Teacher

Teachers can grow in us. They may be a nuisance at first and then turn out to be the best friends we never had. But when we lose them, we realize that a part of us is somehow lost too. However, handling grief is part of becoming a better adult. Here is a short guide on how to grieve and recover from it after a death of a teacher.

Find A Support System

Being alone in a challenging time of your life can make the situation worse. Seek support from others inside the school community. If this is not possible, call your friends at home, get in touch with your parents or siblings or find help and companionship among your new friends in college. There are also several support groups you can reach out to as you deal with your grief. If the grief is so severe that you are having a hard time thinking straight, seek help from a professional clinic or through your school’s medical center.

Self-care

After losing someone you care about, one of the common results of grief is stress. You may see yourself starting to distance yourself from others or crying at night. If you need to let out your emotions, do it, but in the safest and sane way possible. Lock yourself in your room or cry as much you want. Shouting in grief is also acceptable. As you release your feelings, you will subconsciously start to deal with the pain and begin your way to recovery. Take care of yourself even if it means giving in to your feelings. The important thing is, never put yourself in danger even as you grieve.

Deal With Academic Life

Although it is normal to experience pauses or to choose to stop completely to grieve for a teacher’s loss, you should realize that life gets going. Inform the school if you need to take time off your studies. Notify your professors if you need to apply changes to your schedule. But remember, you will need to get back on track to be on the healthy road of recovering. The sooner you get back to your usual schedule, even with the loss of your friend, the faster acceptance will follow.

Engage In New Activities

Find a new outlet that can help you express yourself productively. Start learning to play an instrument, learn to cook, or write a story. Find an outlet where you can pour your emotions into. A new hobby or activity can provide an emotional outlet for your feelings and a way to rediscover yourself. Dedicate a new achievement to the one you lost and see yourself slowly getting over the grief.

Be Aware Of The Red Flags

Some students handle grief better than others. If you see yourself lingering on grief longer than others or if damaging behaviors are starting to surface, putting yourself or others at risk, it might be a sign to seek professional help. Talk to a counselor to help you deal with grief. Some self-destructive behaviors can lead to extreme measures, even suicide. If you start to feel something that leads to such, professional help might be necessary.

Losing people can bring out the worst in us. But with time to heal and a support system, recovering gracefully as possible. Take your time to process and deal with the loss of someone. But as you experience a hard time getting to the road to acceptance, seek the help that you need from people you can trust.