Dealing with grief

As human beings, it is inevitable for us to face the death of a loved one. It is said that the price we pay for love is grief. Grief is defined as the anguish/pain one faces after significant loss, usually the death of a loved person.

Psychological distress, separation anxiety, confusion, obsessive dwelling on the past, anger, and even suicidal thoughts are some of the many side effects that follow after a person experiences grief. 

Carl Fredricksen the old man from the movie Up was experiencing grief due to the loss of his beloved wife Ellie. He experienced a sense of anger in the early stages of grief, then moved on to a sense of numbness. Due to feeling a sense of numbness he decided to lock himself in his house all day and had a bitter outlook on society. After meeting a local kid named Russell, We learn that deep down within Carl's heart he has a sense of kindness and passion but his temper and lack of patience causes him to appear stubborn and uncaring. 

(Art by Yashwitha Reddy Thindi)

Russell was the neighbor kid who went to Carl to ask for help obtaining a badge for his scouts. At first, their relationship was shaky as Carl had a negative outlook on the world. Despite this Russell uses persistence, curiosity, and childlike innocence to help Carl open up. Russell embarks on a journey with Carl which later makes him open up about his wife and come to terms with his losses. 

According to Helpguide.org the movie Up shows us the proper way to deal with grief as we should open up about our losses and not ignore them. (Smith, M., 2024)

Other coping mechanisms include:

• Expressing your emotions(crying, talking, and writing in a journal)
• Joining a help group in your local community 
• By allowing yourself to grieve and not suppressing emotions. 

Reference:

Smith, M. (2024, May 9). Coping with grief and loss: Stages of grief and how to heal. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm 

Schwiebert, J. (n.d.). Up. Grief Watch. https://griefwatch.com/blogs/articles/up 

Wein, H. (2024, June 17). Coping with grief. National Institutes of Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/10/coping-grief 

Author: Justin Lee

Justin Lee is a current high schooler who enjoys volunteering for his community. He has a passion for coding projects and is looking to make his own website to share his ideas with the world. In this article, Justin focuses on the aspects of dealing with grief and how a popular Pixar animation movie details the aspects of grief.