Coping with Everyday Losses

When circumstances such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic change our daily lives, we may feel a sense of loss. Such as losing our experience of normalcy, predictability and ordinary social contact with friends, relatives and co-workers. Grocery shopping can be a strange experience. We can’t go out to eat at our favorite restaurants. Our normal routines have been disrupted. 

These losses may cause us to experience feelings of grief such as:

• Sadness 
• Anger
• Numbness
• Irritability
• Disrupted sleep and appetite
• A roller coaster of emotional energy

Here are some things to remember.  

• Let your feelings out. Don’t hold them in.
• Whatever you’re feeling is yours to experience. There’s no “normal”—because situations like COVID-19 aren’t normal.
• It’s OK to have a feeling of grief over any loss.

What you can do:

• You don’t have to grieve alone if you don’t want to. Try reaching out to loved ones. Know that others may not know the “right” thing to say, but they may be able to listen.
• Allow yourself space to think of the things you will miss most from what you lost, and prepare for what you plan to do when reminders of your loss come up. 
• Talk to your DaVita social worker.

During challenging times, we are here to help. If you are a DaVita dialysis patient, please reach out to your social worker for more tips and additional support. You can find more information about coping with COVID-19 here.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice from a medical provider.

Please check with a medical professional if you need a diagnosis and/or for treatments as well as information regarding your specific condition. In case of emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department.