The Five Stages of Grief And How To Deal With Them
Grief is a very personal and unique experience. Each person responds to loss in their way, and the grieving process will differ for each individual. However, there are typical stages that many people go through when facing the death of a loved one or another life-changing event. Read on for more information about each step of grief, tips for coping, and ways to support someone going through them.
Recognizing the loss
When a person leaves his life, one of the first things you may notice is that your environment begins to change. It’s important to acknowledge these changes and allow yourself to feel the emotions that come with them. When a relationship ends, you may become less involved with that person or see them around less. You may see your coworkers less often or have fewer responsibilities.
Anger
It can be easy to take your anger out on the people around you or even avoid them because you are not ready to talk about your feelings. It’s important to recognize when you’re angry and find a healthy way to deal with it. Find a quiet place and give yourself time to calm down. Write down your thoughts and feelings if that helps you.
Bargaining
When you experience the loss of a loved one, you may find yourself bargaining with the universe. You may wish that your loved one would come back to life or that the accident would never happened. It is important to remind yourself that you cannot bargain with death. The best thing you can do is to learn from the experience and move on.
Depression
At this stage, you may begin to feel incredibly depressed. You may feel like you are crying for hours or don’t have the energy to get out of bed in the morning. You may lose interest in activities you used to enjoy and find it hard to concentrate on your work or studies. Your sleep schedule may be completely disrupted, and your eating habits may change. Remember that it is essential to seek help.
Acceptance
Acceptance means that you have accepted that person is no longer in your life and have learned to move on. When going through the grieving process, it is essential to take everything one day at a time. It is also helpful to be gentle with yourself and acknowledge that you will go through stages of grief again and again over time.
Tips to help cope with grief
- Attend a support group
You can find grief support groups in your area by searching online
- Write down your thoughts
This is a great way to get them out of your head on paper, where you can look back on them and see how far you’ve come.
- Take care of yourself
It’s essential to take care of yourself during tough times. This means getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and making time for activities you enjoy.
Grief is a very personal and unique experience. Each person reacts differently to lose, and everyone’s grieving process will differ. It is essential to understand how the stages of grief affect each of us. The grieving process is not a straight line but rather a cycle in which you will experience these stages over and over again over time.
This article is written by a therapist from Sensera – a self-help app that provides daily CBT audio sessions and exercises. The app helps people deal with a variety of mental issues (anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship problems). Download Sensera now to become happier!
