Reflect on the C. S. Lewis quote: “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” In what ways do you think grief feels like fear? How does that make coping with grief/loss difficult?

[Austin]

The fear of how you may be viewed by others by moving on too quickly “in their eyes.” Coping with this fear is like a weight holding you back, when you know the wishes of your love one was to move on with life after their death.

[Austin]

I have typically thought of grief as sadness, but I can understand that fear might be a component of it since you may feel some loss of control.

[Austin]

I think grief can feel like fear in the uncertainty of life in general. One day or one moment you’re thinking things
are going one way, and then all of a sudden, it’s flipped right before your
eyes. This can make coping with
grief/loss difficult because in a lot of circumstances, you can be left
questioning everything you learned or ever thought you knew about a given
situation.

[Austin]

This sounds accurate. As I get older I deal with loss of capacity and at times I do wonder what this means for various aspects of my life. As my wife or my family members pass away it also is not only loss, but the realization that we are getting older. I believe this causes fear as well as grief.

[Austin]

I think that loss can create a fear of even more loss, and the worry of being in a grieving state again. No one wants to keep losing, and no one wants the pain and emotional struggle that comes along with it. I would definitely be afraid of it happening again. The logistics of loss can create fear as well. For instance, if a husband passes away who was his wife’s main caretaker, provider, and financial detail tracker, the wife would then have to figure out how to have all of her physical needs met day-to-day, and learn how to handle the many financial pieces of daily life. God is in control, but these situations can definitely be challenging.