Feeling Sad:

In American culture, feeling sad or in grief is considered something you can not forget. There is no law for bereavement leave. Five days leave is given when a family member dies, is that enough…’ Wall Street Journal journalist Cody Delistraty says, ‘Western social norms teach us to keep this sad feeling private and keep quiet.

When mother died, we did not organize the house for 5 days, father was at work and I was not ready to go to college. Grief or sadness does not affect everyone equally. In his book ‘The Grief Cure’, Cody Delistraty has focused on the need and importance of talking openly about grief, sad.

How to increase social engagement and trust… Wall Street Journal journalist and author are telling Don’t keep unnecessary notions in your mind, keep looking for opportunities to talk… inspire others too.

No one ever wants to live with pain, but in America silence in the midst of grief or sad is deeply ingrained. Even in the early 20th century, wearing mourning clothes and writing condolence letters on black-bordered paper was the norm. Not much has changed now. The latest example is in my neighborhood. I’m close to them.

When I came to know a few days ago that his parents had been hospitalised, I could hardly find the words. My first reaction was, would it be too much to say anything? The perception is that one is hesitant to discuss grief or sad. While studying for my book, I used to look for opportunities to talk to others in unknown cities.

I often spoke openly about my mother’s death. The results were surprising. Strangers began to feel comfortable. Hearing about my grief made many people feel that they too could talk about their experiences.

A woman said that her husband is no more. She wants to re-establish the relationship but she feels guilty. A young man said that his brother died recently and he thinks about him first thing in the morning and last thing in the night. We need to understand that our partners also want to talk, just an effort is required.

The study found that social attachment and trust have declined in the US over the past few years, making it even more difficult to connect. According to Pew Research, only 54% of American adults feel connected to their local community. This number is even lower for the younger generation.

To overcome this problem, we have to encourage people to talk openly about their grief. If you ask about it with a feeling of caring, then there is no harm. Because helping someone in grief is not about isolating them. Rather it is about being together and being there for them. This will help them cope with grief or difficult moments in a better way.