Grief Over Death

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Grief over death is not something that is finished in a short time. There are stages that an individual will have to go through when they are grieving. The grief stages have no set time table and they may come out of order. It is also important to note that an individual may repeat stages until they are able to process their grief.

Denial

This is the first stage of grief over death. The person who has lost a loved one will feel numbness, a feeling that the world is not real and shock. A person who is in this stage can become very confused as their mind tries to process the impact of the death. An individual may have chest pains, nausea or panic attacks. The individual may either weep or sit quietly and say nothing. There is no right or wrong way to act in this stage of grief over death, or any of the grief stages.

Anger

This stage occurs when the shock has worn off from the impact of leaning about a death. This is when anger can rise to the surface and it is often the way that an individual lets out some of their pain. During this stage of grief over death individuals may look for someone to blame for their loved one’s death. They may blame themselves, strangers, medical professionals, God or even the deceased. This stage of grief over death is usually marked by sadness, sleeping problems, anxiety, crying jags or rage.

Bargaining

This stage of grief over death is when the individual truly comprehends that their loved one is gone forever. The hurting individual may feel very tired, cry, lose weight, withdraw and start to think of the ifs and whys of death. While the individual knows that their loved one is gone, their emotions are still absorbing the reality of it and the magnitude of the loss.

Depression

This stage of grief over death is where some people get stuck. They have accepted that their loved one is gone and they are facing the reality of what it means in regards to their life. Many individuals feel apathy, loneliness, sadness and even fear. Many people question whether life is worth living and if it is even worth the trouble to get out of bed in the morning. Life seems very overwhelming and many people withdraw into a shell and have trouble getting out.

Acceptance

This is the stage of grief over death when individuals realize that life goes on without the deceased. Individuals have processed the death and realize that they are still alive and have a life to lead. While it is not easy to pick themselves up and move forward, many people do and they learn to cope with their loss. This stage has many setbacks, but the important thing is that the person understands that he or she is a survivor.