When it comes to dealing with our emotions, at times it can feel like it is all too much. With many different emotions out there, different reasons for them showing themselves and not knowing how to deal with them, it can be overwhelming. One such emotion that many people struggle with is grief. Grief is one of those feelings that can hit us like a truck and feel like it came out of no where. It can be strong, powerful and hurtful at times. When it comes to grief, there are different stages that you tend to go through. They can affect you differently and bring up many other emotions. Let’s take a look at the stages of grief.
What is grief?
Firstly, before we dive into the different stages it is important to understand what grief is. When someone hears the term grief, the assumption is that its tied to the loss of a loved one. However this is not always the case. Grief can be experienced for many different reasons.
Grief is described as an emotion of great sorrow and despair. Events in your life that cause you pain, suffering and despair can bring with them grief. These events can include the loss of a job, a friendship, relationship, pet, the loss of a sense such as sight or hearing and so many more life altering events.
The stages of grief
When it comes to experiencing grief, it is said that you will go through different stages. These stages help you to deal with the events and process the emotions that you are feeling.
These stages can come at any time and you may not experience them in this same order. Everyone is different and the way that they handle things vary. What may seem like too much for you, may be easier for someone else. Or the opposite way, you may be dealing with something rather easily, whilst someone else struggles.
When it comes to the stages, there is no one size fits all. You may experience the stages for months on end, or you may pass through them quickly. Remember, it is your pain and it is okay to take as long as you need to process it.
The most spoken about stages of grief are:
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
These five stages are the ones that most people who experience grief tend to go through.
How do I deal with the grief?
This is an answer that we wish we had. We will we could give you the answers and help you to feel instantly better. Unfortunately though it is not that easy. When it comes to dealing with grief it is a very personal choice. How you process and deal with your emotions may work for you, but not for someone else. That is why it is hard to give a direct answer on how to deal with it.
There are things that can help and that can make the feelings less powerful. These can include:
- Talking to someone – talking about how you are feeling is a great way to not only process your emotions but to help others to understand how you are feeling.
- Writing it down – you may not be ready to talk to someone, but writing your feelings down can help you to start to come to terms with them and move towards acceptance.
- Do something special – Think of the event that caused you grief and think about how you can do something special to signify the change. If it was the loss of a loved one, is there a memorial item you can purchase or have made to help you have them with you? If it was the end of a friendship or a relationship, what is something that you can do for yourself to make yourself feel better?
- Exercise – believe it or not, exercise is great for clearing the mind and helping you to feel more relaxed and in control. When you feel like the grief is taking hold, go for a run or do a yoga routine to bring yourself back to centre.
Grief is something that we all will experience at one point or another. It is a nature part of life and an emotion that we need to go through at times. But don’t let it take a hold. Be strong. Be in control. Be you.
