I experienced those symptoms all at once and it paralyzed and numbed me for months (it’s been less than a year for me losing my husband of 30 years).
I too didn’t want to be bothered and wished to grieve alone with my pets - who provided such great comfort to me during that time.
I will never again say “call me if you need anything” - it came off to me as so patronizing. It was the little things that meant the most - neighbors stopping by to check on me and say hello, drop off a plant of flower and just chit-chat or my dear friends inviting me to meet for lunch at the mall.
I now know how to respond so much better when one of my loved ones or friends experiences the same thing.
Mine is very fresh and raw, but I talked with a widow who lost her husband 2 years ago and still can't take his clothes out the closet. This is so brutal, I don't know how to live with it for 2 years.
I'm reading all that I can, but the words are all the same "exercise, get into therapy, eat right, get involved in a group". Where do you find the strength to just take a shower?
I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine losing my husband. It would devastate me.
I, too, am going through these stages. I lost my older brother to CoVid almost 2 months ago.
I am still upset with the hospital rules where there can be no visitors. My SIL is vaccinated, was my brother and nephew’s caregiver for 10 days at home when both had symptoms. She continued to test negative. Why couldn’t she be allowed to go visit her husband of 49 years at least once a day to hold his hand, especially on the last day when we knew his death was imminent. She could’ve been masked and gowned.
Hospital administrators have no heart. None.
Clearly I’m in some part of the anger stage about this. I understand why my whole family couldn’t be there, but I do not understand them not letting his wife be with him. It makes me very very mad and I wonder when patients will have any rights again,