Healthy Coping Strategies Essay Paper

Coping with terminal illness and death is difficult, but there are different coping strategies that will help you not forget but to keep going while honoring the person that died. One strategy I am in favor of is grief counseling because expressing how you feel and being able to talk about it helps people accept the death but keep the memories alive. Learning how to cope in grief counseling through physical contact, allowing yourself to cry, meditating, and looking at old pictures or videos helps lessen the pain of suffering for the terminally ill patient and the loved ones that are witnessing this transition to death (Kennedy, 2008). Another healthy coping strategy is accepting the inevitable which is difficult but necessary. Acceptance is also looked at a coping strategy but it is a defensive one (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015). Defended your loved one that passed is normal, and accepting the results of terminal illness and death are a process that takes time to comprehend. I believe people view acceptance as a tool to let go and forget, but it is actually giving yourself permission to accept the inevitable while learning how to keep living. In the process of acceptance we allow our mind and hearts to be at peace while accepting the death (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

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Summary

The agony of spending the majority of your life with someone and before you are ready you watch this person slip away suddenly or gradually. The pain either way is deep rooted and hard to fathom in the midst of a loss. Surrounding each other, accepting the outcome and how you feel, communicate with others that are enduring the same heart, and remember while uplifting and celebrating the life that was lost are intricate parts of the mourning process. We hear all the time from people who are close to the deceased, that they would not want us crying or feeling depressed but to move on and celebrate the life they had. I will admit this is one of the hardest accomplishments to achieve when death hurts so much.

References

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Kennedy, A. (2008). Working through grief. Retrieved from http://ct.counseling.org/2008/01/working-through-grief/

3. (L. Waf)

Victor and Isabella married 53 years had four children, Paul, Sophia, Lenore, and Joseph. Following years of stable health, Victor became ill with pancreatic cancer. Over the last four months of his life, the treatment left him violently ill, in and out of the hospital. While Isabella and the other children provided some care the bulk of care was provided by Paul as the burden fell on the oldest child. Victor did not have a written living will. However, Isabella informed her children that Victors wishes were to receive unexpected supports be used to keep him alive. Victor eventually fell into a coma, having difficulty breathing; in a turn of events, Joseph prevailed against Isabella allowing a ventilator to be inserted. Victor dies a few days later. This caused strife amongst Joseph and his siblings as they felt it only caused Victor additional suffering. (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

Factors Influencing Reaction to Death

There may be several factors influencing Isabella’s reaction to Victor’s death and illness. They were married for 53 years, she is now in late adulthood and now left alone. Joseph may feel guilty for going against the wishes of his family; causing the strife. I believe the primary factor affecting the reactions of the siblings is the disagreement of medical care imposed by Joseph. Paul also worries significantly about his mother, and Lenore and Sophia appear to want to not deal with the reality of Victor’s death by avoidance.

At-risk youth lack healthy coping skills needed to manage stress. This lack of skills leaves adolescents vulnerable to more risky behaviors such as substance use. Therefore, I created a two-day lesson on healthy coping skills for adolescents at Mount Toro High School in Salinas, California. Healthy Coping Strategies Essay Paper

Healthy Coping Strategies Essay Paper