Grieving is a witch… see what I did there. We all know that college can be hard, but sometimes life can throw unexpected things in the way that just make it all too difficult. One certain thing that life can unexpectedly drop in your lap is losing a loved one. When losing a loved one – especially someone who was very close to you – during a semester of college, especially in a “fantastic” year like good ol’ 2020, can be very complicated.
I had initially taken a week off from school and work to be with my family and begin to plan arrangements. The whole week felt bizarre as arrangements and plans had been looked over and eventually confirmed, along with contacting everyone to inform. After everything took place, the tough decision of taking another week off was made as I did not exactly have time to process everything throughout the beginning.
Throughout my second week off, everything still seemed surreal and that was when I realized that although I wanted to take another week off or maybe even a month, there was a possibility I would still feel the same. Two weeks after my father’s passing, I decided to come back to school and begin work again. The first few days of being back were the toughest as it took time to adjust to not only focus on school work and work, but just figuring out what to say to people who were asking how I was.
It’s been difficult to answer the simple question of “How are you?” when you don’t really know the answer yourself so you just come up with a simple “I’m fine” or “I’m trying.” It’s also difficult when trying to get back into a “normal” routine after encountering an experience such as this; one moment you can be okay and the next you can feel like you are there physically but completely somewhere else mentally.
But one realization that I have concluded is that just like college, the only thing that can be done is to take it one step at a time and reach out for help if needed. As a wise advisor once said, a bit of peppermint, tissues and water can go a long way.