The stages of grieving and mourning are something that we all have unfortunately been through. Whether it was due to a death of a family member, animal or a friend, we experienced these feelings. They may have been different on a scale of intensity and you might have experienced them out of order, but we all know about these universal feelings. So let’s get into a little more detail about these stages of grieving.
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Denial
Oftentimes, bad things come out of the blue and it is difficult to actually grasp everything that has happened. While some deaths are prognosed in advance, giving you a little time to comprehend the situation, others are very sudden. In those situations one of the first stages of grieving is denial. It is difficult for you to believe that the loss has occurred; this stage lasts longer for some than others.
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Emotional Release
Once you actually recognize that the loss has occurred, you get a surge of emotions. It is hard to actually control everything that you are feeling so you end up just releasing everything that is going through your head. In addition, this stage usually consists of a lot of crying. For some, this stage is very delayed and for others it never really comes.
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Depression
For some people a feeling of helplessness and isolation may occur after the emotional release. You might feel the need to isolate yourself from others and drop any of your interests that meant a lot to you in the past. Serious depression can result in complete change of personality and constant feeling of sadness.
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Remorse
After a period of depression and sadness, you will most likely enter the stage of remorse, during which you begin to think of ways of how this occurrence could have been prevented. This is the time when people begin to have the ‘what if’ thoughts. For example, ‘what if he never left his house,’ ‘what if someone was there for her,’ or ‘what if we knew about this sooner.'
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Acceptance
Soon enough you will face the reality of the loss and experience closure. Going through all of the previous stages emotionally aids you in gaining acceptance of the situation and will eventually help you with getting in control with your emotions. Accepting the loss is the first step of coming to terms with the events and moving on for the better.
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If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.
Hope
At this stage remembering the loss becomes less painful and you begin to look forward to the future. While you might still experience occasional sadness and sorrow, you will be able to function as close to normal as you used to be. You will look forward to doing new things and making a life for yourself.
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Coping
The final stage of grieving is coping. While for some it might take weeks or months, for others it will take years upon years to get to this stage. However, eventually you will be able to successfully deal with changes in your life and come to terms with losing those who were close to you. Eventually things will get better and you will be able to move on with your life.
Grieving is a difficult process that can be damaging to your health and your mental state. However, things do get better, no matter how difficult and stressful it might be for you. Time really does heal all wounds to a certain extent. What are some of your tips for those who are going through these stages of grieving?
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