Systemic Loss

Excerpt from “Grief is Holy: A Practical Guide to Grieving with God”:

A systemic loss is a loss that affects all. This could be a change in the family unit, laws that are adjusted, or a financial crisis that is affecting the economy. These losses/changes can be challenging because they seem to rattle us from outside of us. We feel like we don’t have much say in what happens because it’s bigger than just us, but it affects our lives and requires us to make changes on an individual level.

Even friend groups that have been together for a long time - if someone in the group passes away or a couple disconnects because of a disagreement, it alters the group in a way that rattles the ones remaining. One loss affected a group of people, and each member impacted can have a backpack of grief as they recalibrate from what has changed.