We understand that the journey of grief takes a village. At Gerst, we want to meet you wherever you are and provide you with resources and support. We have found storytelling to be a great way to take strives toward your personal healing. Here are a few ways sharing your story can benefit you.
Creates a connection with others
Storytelling has been a uniting force throughout history; whether passed down through generations or shared over a cup of coffee, storytelling has been a tool to connect people. Grief can be a slow process, and emotions can be challenging to sort through. By way of storytelling, people can share their feelings of loss and pain with others. Opening up and sharing harrowing stories allows for connecting over shared experiences. When people choose to be vulnerable and share, they can relate to others, lean on others, and feel seen and heard. You invite others to understand and empathize with you by telling your story. The person hearing your story, who may be going through similar struggles, can learn from you sharing your story. This deeper connection can be transformative as universal human experiences can be heard and connected upon, making for a less lonely walk through grief.
“I found that by sharing my story and listening to the stories of others, I could connect with people in a way that transcended words and pain. Through our shared experiences of loss, we found a common language that helped us heal.” – Menajem Benchimol.
Aids in processing grief
Sharing your experience out loud requires you and others to think and revisit those painful memories. Storytelling can be intimidating at first because it requires vulnerability. With repetition, your confidence grows, and your feelings towards those difficult memories embedded in your story begin to change. By receiving support from listeners, the storyteller can associate more positive experiences with their story.
Many forms of therapy for grief, serious illness, and other traumas recommend support groups for people to hear and share stories because it’s proven to have a positive impact on people’s recovery. Confronting the past provides people with an emotional release by sharing bottled-up emotions, reframing their perspective, and providing a sense of agency over, many times, an experience that was out of their control. Storytelling can be a powerful tool in understanding and accepting grief.
Moves you on your journey towards healing
The healing process of losing someone can feel never-ending, but sharing your story can take you one step further. It is essential to revisit and confront the agonizing pain to reflect and gain clarity. Healing cannot come without facing the root of the aching. Storytelling gives people the space to lean on and inspire others walking through similar battles. It can radically change how someone approaches those memories and processes the pain while having people around, ready to catch them when they need.
Support at Gerst
Our team is committed to offering you the comfort and options you deserve. With advances in technology, families have the opportunity to personalize services and honor their loved ones in ways that feel authentic to them. We also strive to provide ongoing support after the funeral through our social media pages, blogs, monthly newsletter, and online resources. If you are struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here for you!
