What is grief?

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is a reaction to witnessing something or someone they love taken from them. Quite often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming. There may be a range of emotions you experience during this time, from shock to anger to sadness to disbelief. Grief doesn’t just affect your mental health. Grief can affect your physical health too, making it difficult to sleep, eat, and even think.

What losses cause grief?

One of life’s biggest challenges is coping with the loss of someone or something you love. Any loss can cause grief, including the death of a loved one, divorce/or loss of a relationship, loss of health, loss of employment, financial loss/financial stability, miscarriage, serious illness/loss of physical mobility, loss of friendship, loss of a pet, loss of safety after a traumatic event, and other types of losses.

Experiencing Grief?

Grieving can include sadness, anger, loneliness, and other painful emotions; however, it can also provide a way to deal with loss and carry on while preserving the memories of the one you lost. People have different opinions of how to grieve. Some people prefer expressing their grief while others prefer expressing it silently. Some feel anger, while others feel happiness, numbness, or relief.

What is grieving?

Grieving can include sadness, anger, loneliness, and other painful emotions; however, it can also provide a way to deal with loss and carry on while preserving the memories of the one you lost. People have different opinions of how to grieve. Some people prefer expressing their grief while others prefer expressing it silently. Some feel anger, while others feel happiness, numbness, or relief.

What can impact grief?

The grieving process can be hampered by deaths that are unexpected, traumatizing, or stigmatized, such as suicide. Personal factors can also contribute, such as a history of mental illness, or strained relationships with the deceased.

How long can grief last?

Grief can last for weeks, months, or years. It may come and go around holidays, anniversaries, and major life events, or it might always be in the background. However, grief does tend to lessen in intensity over time.

Can grief cause other problems?

Grief increases the risk of developing other health problems, mental illness, and relationship difficulties. This is especially true if the death was traumatic, if you feel guilty about the death, or if grief is prolonged.

Tips for coping with grief:

First, do not grieve alone. It is important that family and friends support you during times of grief. Second, take care of yourself. Eat, sleep, and exercise. Be patient with yourself. Express your feelings creatively. Third, while most grief will improve over time, this may not be the case for everyone. When grief is particularly debilitating or long-lasting, support groups and therapy can be helpful.

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