MHM Magazine

32 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | Issue 2 | 2021 MHM M any people, the world over, are experiencing grief and loss during the current global health pandemic. With millions having contracted the virus and millions more who have lost their lives, the past year has been an overwhelming time characterised by fear and anxiety. In South Africa, almost 1.5 million people have tested positive for Covid-19 and over 50 000 people have lost their lives to the disease in the past year. Besides the grief and loss of life, many people are also grieving for things the pandemic has taken away from them. People have lost their jobs and sources of income, their support systems due to the need to isolate from one another, and people have lost their “normal” lifestyles, where we were By Reabetsoe Buys Counselling Psychologist www.shrinkmama.co.za GRIEF AND LOSS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19