No one wants to lose a friend or a loved one.  Experiencing the death of someone we care about is always painful and difficult. Feeling the impact of such a loss is called grief.  Grief is a normal human reaction to loss.

Here are some things you need to know about grief.

 

• Grief is normal.

 

• There is no “right” way to grieve.

 

• Feelings of anger, deep sadness, regret, emptiness, and exhaustion are all part of the experience of grief.

 

• Grief comes in waves, often at unexpected times.

 

• There is no time limit for grieving, although often the first year after a loss is the most difficult.

 

• Healing will come. Being a part of a grief group will help you through this difficult time.​

Often people will refer to the five stages of grief.  These stages were originally compiled forty years ago by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and are a good tool to help us understand the grief process. They are as follows:
 

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

 

However, the word “stages” implies a linear progression when in reality each stage can be experienced again and again at different times in different ways, or not experienced at all.  There is no typical grief, just as there is no typical loss.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​