Dealing with grief and loss (2024)

FAQs

Dealing with grief and loss? ›

As you build a plan, consider the “three Cs”: choose, connect, communicate. Choose: Choose what's best for you. Even during dark bouts of grief, you still possess the dignity of choice. “Grief often brings the sense of loss of control,” says Julie.

As you build a plan, consider the “three Cs”: choose, connect, communicate. Choose: Choose what's best for you. Even during dark bouts of grief, you still possess the dignity of choice. “Grief often brings the sense of loss of control,” says Julie.

The moment we learn of our loss, our braintriggers the fight-or-flight response. This heightened state puts extra stress on our organs and bodily functions, and we would usually experience it for a few minutes to 48 hours. But after bereavement, the effects ofthe fight-or-flight response can continuefor months.

There really is no stage that is the hardest or one that all people get stuck in the longest. That said, for some people, the hardest stage might be the “depression” stage while for others this might be the bargaining stage of grief or “anger.”.

This is known as complicated grief, sometimes called persistent complex bereavement disorder. In complicated grief, painful emotions are so long lasting and severe that you have trouble recovering from the loss and resuming your own life.

The five stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – are often talked about as if they happen in order, moving from one stage to the other. You might hear people say things like 'Oh I've moved on from denial and now I think I'm entering the angry stage'. But this isn't often the case.

The death of a husband or wife is well recognized as an emotionally devastating event, being ranked on life event scales as the most stressful of all possible losses.

Where do we hold grief in our body? Grief affects the entire body, including the organs, skin, brain, and tissues. It can create issues with muscle tenion, sleeping difficulties, and affect how the brain and body process information and emotions.

Depression. Depression is a feeling of sadness and hopelessness that often results with the loss of a loved one. While the earlier stages of grief help to protect us from the emotional pain experienced with loss, often these feelings are inevitable.

What is the most difficult death to recover from? ›

Different kinds of bereavement

In general, death of a child is the most difficult kind of loss, and bereaved family members are at elevated risk for depression and anxiety for close to a decade after the loss.

There is no timeline for how long grief lasts, or how you should feel after a particular time. After 12 months it may still feel as if everything happened yesterday, or it may feel like it all happened a lifetime ago. These are some of the feelings you might have when you are coping with grief longer-term.

A trigger can be anything that causes a strong reminder of your loss. Many people say the first year or two can be particularly difficult. With time, most people find they learn to adapt, although birthdays, anniversaries or other special dates might always cause a range of strong emotions.

It is perfectly normal not to cry when someone dies. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and everyone deals with loss in their own way. It doesn't mean that you don't care, that you are cold, or that you are broken in any way. It simply means that you process your emotions in a different way.

Try to maintain your hobbies and interests. There's comfort in routine and getting back to the activities that bring you joy and connect you closer to others can help you come to terms with your loss and aid the grieving process. Don't let anyone tell you how to feel, and don't tell yourself how to feel either.

When it comes to coping with anxiety, the three C's - Calm Techniques, Coping Strategies, and Communication Skills - can be powerful tools in managing and reducing anxiety symptoms. In this section, we will focus on the first C: Calm Techniques.

So the 3 pillars in healing are, Processing through your mind, processing through your body, and Community.

Numbness, Disorganization and Reorganization are these stages. In the midst of the grief journey, we sometimes feel there is no ending to the pain of loss.