Grief
Grief is a natural response to loss and losing something or someone you love can be very difficult and painful. When you experience a loss, you may feel a variety of emotions that range from anger to sadness, and many others in-between. Sometimes it feels like the hardship will never end, but the good news is that with time, the feelings of grief seem to lessen.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross developed a theory based on the way that people grieve. She found that people generally go through 5 various stages:
- DENIAL: “This can’t be happening to me.”
- ANGER: “Whose fault is this and why is it happening?”
- BARGAINING: “If I do this, then can I get that..?”
- DEPRESSION: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
- ACCEPTANCE: “I’m at peace with what happened.”
*They may or may not occur in this order and some stages may never be reached at all.
Grief does not only occur when a loved one dies. Losing a relationship, a job, your health, your financial stability, your pet, or your feelings of safety can all cause grief as well. However, there is not one right way to grieve; everyone does it their own way. The pain does not go away faster if it is ignored and it is important to go through it the way that best suits the individual.
Therapists and counselors can be very helpful when someone is dealing with a loss. It can be helpful for them to talk to someone about the pain they are feeling. It is possible that the pain of grief will never disappear in its entirety, but it definitely can get better.
SOURCES:
Coping with Grief and Loss
How to Deal with Grief
Image from: http://blog.al.com/pr/grief%20day%201%20side.jpg