Death and the grieving process are a sad and unfortunate part of the human experience. Losing someone you love and who played an important role in your life produces a pain that cannot be easily described. No two people experience the grieving process exactly the same. There is no timeframe for grieving, and some individuals may feel like the pain they are experiencing will never go away. Since the grieving process is unique to every single person, there is no right or wrong way to grieve. There are some healthy coping skills that can help as you to deal with the pain and the sense of loss that accompanies the grieving process. These coping techniques can help you feel reinvigorated and give you the strength you need to continue on.
Understanding the Stages of Grief
Grieving is a natural response to loss. It is experienced when a person loses a loved in death, loses their health, a cherished dream, a friendship, or suffers a divorce or the breakup of a relationship. When the loss is significant, the feeling of grief will be stronger. Grief is broken into five stages. These stages are:
- Denial: Disbelief that a tragedy is affecting you.
- Anger: Attempting to understand why a situation is happening and assigning blame.
- Bargaining: During this stage, a person may make promises or resolutions in an attempt to negotiate with the impending tragedy.
- Depression: A person may feel too sad to do anything.
- Acceptance: Feeling at peace with what happened.
Dealing with Symptoms Associated with Grief
For some individuals, the grieving process is less of a series of stages and instead a roller coaster of emotions. There are ups and there are downs. Usually, the most intense emotions are felt in the days and weeks immediately following the loss. Some symptoms of grief include shock and disbelief. It can be difficult to accept what is happening, especially during the early stages of grieving. Sadness and guilt along with fear and anger are often experienced by grieving individuals. It is not uncommon for a person to have physical symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, lower immunity, and nausea in response to grief.
Finding Support During Periods of Grief
For some, the natural reaction to experiencing grief is to close themselves off from the world and to try to deal with the sadness and feeling of loss on their own. However, finding support from friends, family members, support groups, religious faith, and grief counselors is essential in order to successfully cope with the pain and sadness grief brings.
Unfortunately, at one time or another every single one of us will experience circumstances that will cause us to grief. Understanding the grieving process, understanding the symptoms of grief, and knowing where to turn to for emotional support can make the painful grieving process a little bit easier.
Informational Credit to Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care
