Feelings of immense grief after the death, or significant loss, of a loved one are hard to cope with. The grieving process brings numerous painful emotions and individuals may feel angry, sad, heartbroken, depressed, anxious as well as shocked. Bereavement is different for each person and is an extremely personal experience. Symptoms of grief may occur at different stages of the grieving process with differing intensity and some emotions may stay with the person suffering grief throughout their life.
Grief can result in physical issues such as insomnia, extreme tiredness, changes in eating habits and weight as well as muscular tension. Grieving is a difficult process and each individual will have a different experience and related issues and a qualified therapists can help individuals find their own way of coping with the loss and pain of losing a loved one.
Stages of bereavement or grief
There are generally four accept stages of bereavement which are accepting the reality of your loss is real, feeling the pain of grief, adapting to life without the person who died and focussing less emotional energy on grieving and moving towards something new.
Most individuals go through all these stages, however the transit it not always smooth. Individuals often feel chaotic and out of control but these feelings should lessen in intensity. There are commonly thought to be 5 stages of grief which are known as denial and isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. People who are grieving do not necessarily go through the stages in the same order or experience all of them.
Coping bereavement or grief
Try to talk about the person who you have lost. Others might not initiate conversations relating to them for fear of upsetting you. Anniversaries and special occasions can be most difficult and so it is best to consider taking a day off work or doing something that reminds you of that person, such as visiting a shared place.
