Mayo Clinic defines grief as an overwhelming emotion for people whose sadness stems from losing something or someone they love. When grieving, you will experience various types of emotions, from anger and shock to guilt, disbelief, and profound sadness. Sometimes, pain emanating from grief can disrupt your health and make it difficult to eat, sleep, or even think straight. Experts acknowledge that you cannot control the grieving process and that you should prepare for the stages of grief.
5 Stages of Grief
These stages of grief are universal and can be experienced by different people from all walks of life. Although these emotions may be difficult to cope with at times, allowing yourself to move through all the five stages will bring you peace with time.
Denial
This is the first reaction after learning about the death of a loved one or after learning about your terminal illness. Denying the reality of the situation gives you more time to absorb the news and start to process it. However, this stage is temporary, and it will carry you through the first wave of the pain you’re experiencing.
Anger
After the masking effect of denial wears off, reality re-emerges. At this point, your emotions will be redirected and expressed as anger, perhaps toward other people--for instance, the person who died, your friends, or even family members. Sometimes, you can redirect your anger to inanimate objects or even yourself. This anger might scare you, especially if you never considered yourself to be an angry person. The important thing is that you remember that this emotion is totally normal. Talking with a trusted friend, family member, or counselor might help you better cope with your anger.
Bargaining
Grief brings with it feelings of helplessness. During those moments, you’ll look for a way to regain control. In this stage, you’ll find yourself creating many “what if” and “if only” statements. This is a normal attempt to try and bargain and make a deal with God or other higher powers to suspend the unavoidable and the accompanying pain.
Depression
Unlike anger and bargaining, depression is the quiet stage of grief. In the previous stages, you may be trying to run away from painful emotions. However, at this point, you’ll embrace them and be more willing to work through them in a healthy manner. Sometimes, you may isolate yourself to focus on coping with the loss entirely.
Acceptance
Acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean that you are suddenly happy or even totally okay about the circumstances, nor does it mean that you’ll stop grieving. Acceptance simply means that you have finally accepted your loss on your own terms, even if you still feel scared or upset at times. You’ll feel different at this stage, mainly due to the change in your life. Look at acceptance as a way to see better things than bad regardless of the circumstances.
Coping With Loss
Whatever the cause of your grief, nobody can help you go through it. However, your friends and loved ones can be there to support you through this process. The most important thing to do is to allow yourself to go through the five stages of grief. Resisting will only prolong the healing process. If you’re grieving due to a terminal illness or loss of mobility, visit Medical Supply Depot today and browse through products that can help improve your situation.
