The death of someone you love is among the most difficult things you will ever face. You will experience many different emotions throughout the grieving process. At times you my feel completely confused. The loss will cause permanent changes in your life. While they are happening, some of those changes may frighten you.
Right now you will probably find it hard to believe that this special person is gone. You may feel shocked, angry, depressed, exhausted, or just plain numb - unable to feel much of anything. The idea that you could ever feel better and go on with your life may seem unbelievable right now. But you will feel better. And you will go on.
You won't always feel like this. Your sadness will continue, but periods during which you feel sad will get further and further apart. There is no wrong way to feel following the death of a loved one. The way you feel right now is natural and normal.
The period of sadness that you've been going through since the death of your loved one is called grieving. Grieving takes time. it may take days, weeks, months, or years. Every person reacts differently to death and everyone grieves differently. Allow yourself to take as long as you need.
Because grieving is so painful to endure, some people want to hurry up the process. This is unwise for a couple of reasons. First, unresolved grief can lead to severe sadness, depression, sickness, and emotional stress. Second, you might be tempted to quiet your grief with alcohol or drugs. Using substances like these in place of real coping actually blocks the natural healing process and makes grieving last longer.
Allow yourself to feel sad. Cry if you feel like crying. Shedding tears releases stress and tension.
Healing takes time and every person grieves differently. Some of the more common signs of grieving are:
Right now you will probably find it hard to believe that this special person is gone. You may feel shocked, angry, depressed, exhausted, or just plain numb - unable to feel much of anything. The idea that you could ever feel better and go on with your life may seem unbelievable right now. But you will feel better. And you will go on.
You won't always feel like this. Your sadness will continue, but periods during which you feel sad will get further and further apart. There is no wrong way to feel following the death of a loved one. The way you feel right now is natural and normal.
The period of sadness that you've been going through since the death of your loved one is called grieving. Grieving takes time. it may take days, weeks, months, or years. Every person reacts differently to death and everyone grieves differently. Allow yourself to take as long as you need.
Because grieving is so painful to endure, some people want to hurry up the process. This is unwise for a couple of reasons. First, unresolved grief can lead to severe sadness, depression, sickness, and emotional stress. Second, you might be tempted to quiet your grief with alcohol or drugs. Using substances like these in place of real coping actually blocks the natural healing process and makes grieving last longer.
Allow yourself to feel sad. Cry if you feel like crying. Shedding tears releases stress and tension.
Healing takes time and every person grieves differently. Some of the more common signs of grieving are:
- Shock
- Disbelief
- Denial
- Intense emotions
- Insomnia or increased sleep
- Fatigue
- Loss of Appetite
- Physical exhaustion
- Sadness/Depression
- Laughing at inappropriate times
- Guilt
- Anger
- Taking up new activities