There is no quick fix when it comes to dealing with the loss of a loved one. Recovery is a long process that works in stages. But there are things that can help out. One Twitter user recently shared a piece of advice that her doctor gave her. And thousands of people have appreciated it.
The sad truth is that everyone in the world has to deal with grief in their lives.
Benjamin Franklin himself said that nothing is certain, “except death and taxes.”
While you can hire a professional to take care of your taxes, overcoming the death of a family member or close friend is something that you have to do yourself.
Luckily, medical professionals have developed a variety of coping mechanisms for dealing with grief.
Everyone goes through the stages of grief in their own ways, but some models of thinking work for most people.
One Twitter user shared the advice that had helped her significantly.
Her name is Lauren Herschel. She sadly lost her mother. Like anyone who loses a parent, adjusting to the new realities of life was and is an ongoing process.
One thought game that her doctor taught her has been particularly effective.
It’s called the Ball in the Box Analogy, and it goes like this:
First, you have the accept some things. 1. Grief will never be gone forever. 2. Certain things will always trigger an onset of grief. 3. These triggers will be encountered, no matter how hard you try to avoid them.
With that in mind, think of grief as being a box with a ball inside. There is also a pain button on the inside of the box.
At the start of the process, the ball is giant. Any attempt to move the box results in the ball hitting the pain button.
You don’t have control over the ball hitting the pain button. It just keeps happening.
But over the course of weeks, months and years, the ball shrinks. That means that the pain button will be hit fewer times.
The upshot of this is that day to day activities become more manageable.
The downside is that the ball will start hitting the pain button when you aren’t expecting it to.
That’s an incredibly simple metaphor, but that’s what makes it so smart.
It relates to anybody. It won’t make grief go away. But it helps people manage their grief and realize that their issues are something that everyone feels and that they have to come to terms with slowly.
It also highlights that grief is a completely normal human emotion. Many people may feel as if suffering from grief makes them weak.
Everyone goes through it. And being “hit with the pain button” is nothing to be ashamed of.
Lauren Herschel also shared the ball in the box metaphor with her stepdad. He found it incredibly helpful. In fact, he even uses it on a regular basis to communicate the way he feels.
The analogy has certainly struck a chord with other Twitter Users.
Lauren Herschel’s Ball in the Box Analogy tweets have been retweeted over 6,000 times and liked over 12,000 times.
There has also been an outpouring of appreciation in the form of Twitter comments.
People have been saying things like this:
Thanks, Lauren, for sharing that incredible trick with us. Hopefully, it can help people around the world come to terms with their loss.
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