Grief

We all go through hard and heartbreaking life events, like losing someone we love or something important in our lives, and this leads to us going through an extremely bad psychological state in addition to great sadness and grief.

Grief

It's a group of reactions that occur with people when they're sad because of losing someone or something in their lives, and they include psychological, physical, and social reactions. The expression of mourning differs from one person to another according to the significant person or thing they've lost. Moreover, people could mourn on anybody or anything that isn't considered important for others.

For example, people could mourn the death or loss of a loved one, the death or loss of a pet, the loss of the house or the job, a great financial loss, a health loss, losing a dream or a goal, etc.

Stages of grief

Grief is divided into five stages that have been observed in people during this difficult period of time:

Denial

People in this stage are still shocked by the loss and having a big trouble accepting this incidence.

Anger

Bereaved people in this stage go through a state of anger and irritation, and they might direct this anger against other people or against themselves.

Bargaining

It means that bereaved people imagine that they've reached an agreement with themselves, like they've accepted this loss, and they also might regret their previous actions that could've harmed some people when they were angry.

Depression

Bereaved people go through a set of emotions that include extreme depression and sadness.

Acceptance

Most people eventually accept this loss and prepare themselves to live with it.

Symptoms of grief

Several psychological, physical, and social symptoms could occur during grief, and bereaved people might experience all or some of them:

Psychological and emotional symptoms

• Sadness, mourning, and depression.
• Anxiety and confusion.
• A feeling of guilt and negligence towards the lost person sometimes.
• Some people might experience a hallucination condition like hearing the voice of the lost person or seeing them.
• A feeling that life isn't worth living anymore.

Physical symptoms

• Decreased or increased appetite.
• Low energy and not being able to do anything.
• Sleeping problems.
• Fatigue and headaches.
• Pain in the stomach, joints, and muscles.
• A feeling of tightness in the chest.

Behavioral and social symptoms

• The inability of clear thinking and making decisions.
• The desire of being alone or with people all the time.
• The inability to continue with the responsibilities.

Management of grief

• People differ in their expression of grief, and this condition differs in how it impacts people. Some people might get over it quickly and without the need for any help, and others might stay in it for a very long time (months or years) despite the help.
• In most cases, grief goes away with time without the need for a medical intervention, but in serious cases, bereaved people must stay under medical monitoring until they get better.
• However, bereaved people need continuous support from family and close people, and they also need to take care of themselves by not being isolated, taking care of their health, not ignoring their emotions and trying to understand them, and not hesitating to see a therapist if needed.