Coronavirus welfare advice: Facing loss in the class of 2020

Grieving will be necessary and there’s no right amount of time or way to grieve. Adopt a self- compassionate approach where possible to validate your feelings of loss and harness your motivation to move forward whilst carrying losses alongside you. 

It's perfectly natural and appropriate to want to get on and 'do things' to help the situation, to not want to 'dwell on' what could have been. And it’s timely to try plan, to function, to progress, even on a small scale. But, as with any loss or bereavement, it's important firstly to notice and acknowledge that there has been a loss.  

Try talking about it openly and honestly. Given we are experiencing a universal experience of loss, your partner, friends or/and family will most likely be able to relate and be present with these shared feelings. Stay regularly connected with your loved ones online (and offline where permitted). And remember, however overwhelming the loss may initially feel, it doesn’t need to be defining of you in the longer term. 

Recognise that something significant, disruptive, and potentially upsetting, has happened, this affects our self-directed motivation and will. Some days we may feel better than others. We may have some unproductive moments when it feels harder to study, to look after ourselves, or even look forward to the future.  

Be hopeful about your future even if social media and global communications seem negative and hopeless, it is important to look to what can be done in your world. What domains of your life are within your control, however small? E.g. staying in touch regularly with loved ones online, sustaining a healthy diet, working out an exercise routine, timetabling study and rest periods, revisiting old hobbies, following good sleep hygiene. 

Responding to Covid-19 continues and changes are being communicated regularly, so do stay in touch with accurate and relevant communications from the University.

And finally, let yourself contemplate ‘Life after Covid-19’! While we are operating under a new normal and have to live with the consequences, remember your life before the pandemic. And how it will be possible to integrate recent events into your life experience and move forward. You will perhaps have experienced adversity on a smaller scale before, think again about your capacity to recover. And perhaps one new way to create meaning, purpose and belonging as well as calling upon your existing coping strategies.