Understanding Collective Grief: How Grief Counselling Can Help During Shared Loss
When we think of grief, we often picture it as a deeply personal journey—tied to the loss of someone we love. But there are times when grief becomes a shared experience. When communities, nations, or even the global population mourn together, we experience what's known as collective grief.
Collective grief is a natural response to widespread loss. It may arise after public tragedies, natural disasters, political violence, mass shootings, the death of a public figure, or even prolonged global experiences like the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if you weren't directly impacted, you may still feel sadness, anger, helplessness, or anxiety—and all of those feelings are valid.
Let’s take a closer look at collective grief, how it can affect us, and how grief counselling can help you navigate it with support and compassion.
What Is Collective Grief?
Collective grief is a form of mourning that occurs when a group of people experiences a shared loss. This could be a community reacting to a local tragedy, a nation mourning the death of a public figure, or a global population grieving widespread suffering or uncertainty.
Unlike individual grief, which is often tied to a specific personal loss, collective grief taps into our shared humanity. It reminds us of our vulnerability, our interconnection, and the impermanence of the world around us. It can also resurface personal grief you thought had been settled, making it all the more complex and heavy to carry.
How Collective Grief Affects Us Emotionally
If you’ve been feeling off lately, without being able to pinpoint why, it may be collective grief at play. Some common signs include:
A deepened sense of sadness or anxiety, even without direct exposure to the event
Feeling emotionally overwhelmed or easily triggered by media coverage
Difficulty sleeping, concentrating, or regulating your emotions
Resurfacing of past grief or trauma
Feeling helpless, numb, or disengaged from everyday life
While these symptoms can feel isolating, you are not alone. Collective grief is a normal and human response to witnessing or absorbing large-scale loss—and it deserves care and attention just like personal grief does.
Coping With Collective Grief: Grounding Strategies
Here are a few gentle, grounding practices that can help support your emotional wellbeing when you're feeling the weight of the world:
Name it
Acknowledge that what you're experiencing is grief. Simply saying, “I’m grieving what’s happening in the world” can validate your emotions and reduce internal confusion or self-judgment.
Limit Exposure to Media
News and social media can keep us in a constant state of alert or despair. Be mindful of how often you check in, and give yourself permission to unplug when needed.
Engage in Embodied Practices
Grounding techniques like mindful breathing, nature walks, or somatic movement can help regulate your nervous system and create a sense of safety within.
Connect With Others
Whether it’s a support group, a trusted friend, or a grief counsellor, sharing your feelings with someone who listens without trying to “fix” you can be deeply healing.
Give Yourself Permission to Feel Joy
Amid collective pain, it's easy to feel guilty for moments of happiness. But joy is not disrespectful—it's restorative. Allow yourself beauty, laughter, and connection where you can.
Why Grief Counselling Is Especially Helpful Right Now
In times of collective sorrow, grief counselling provides a personalized space to unpack your emotions, explore how you're being impacted, and learn tools to manage anxiety, anger, sadness, or disorientation.
Whether your grief stems from a personal loss, or is being stirred up by world events, grief counselling can help you:
Understand what you're feeling and why
Reduce feelings of isolation or guilt
Learn self-regulation tools to ease overwhelm
Create rituals or practices for emotional release
Reconnect with hope, purpose, or inner stability
You don’t have to make sense of it all on your own. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by personal or collective grief, our compassionate team of trauma-informed counsellors is here to walk beside you. We offer virtual grief counselling from the comfort of your home, and every new client is welcome to book a free 20-minute consultation to see if we’re the right fit.
🧡 Your grief is welcome here. Let’s navigate it together.
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