What You Need To Know About The Five Stages Of Grief
There really is no manual way for an individual to properly cope with loss and there is most certainly no right or wrong way to do it either. If you are looking to understand how the process of mourning works in general, here are the different stages of grief that can help you better grasp the different aspects of the experience for each of us.
Denial
For most people, denial is their first response to loss. It is a common defense mechanism that lets them buffer the immediate shock of the devastating situation. As an immediate reaction, those who have just suffered a loss might doubt the reality of the situation at first. This state of denial may cause them to become numb for a while. It might even be difficult for them to move on. Different people execute this denial reaction in a different way in their own time. However, it is usually temporary as denial carries them through the first stage of pain.
Anger
At times, pain can take other forms. Pain from a loss is usually redirected which is then expressed in the form of anger. Feeling intense bouts of anger might shock you or your loved ones but it is not something uncommon. This feeling of anger actually serves a purpose. It can be overwhelming at first for some people because anger is frowned upon in some cultures. Most often than not, people tend to avoid anger rather than confront it. Such feelings of anger may be directed towards anything like inanimate objects, friends, family, or even strangers. You may even feel anger towards the person whom you have just lost.
Bargaining
Bargaining helps you hold on to hope in a situation where you feel hurt. You might be thinking that you are willing to do anything to restore your life like how it was before you experienced the loss even sacrificing something in your life. During this phase, you could find yourself mostly thinking about “what if” scenarios. This bargaining stage may also be accompanied by guilt as you unconsciously try to regain some control even if it means sacrificing yourself. All these emotions are not uncommon and they can help you heal even though they seem hard as you confront the reality of the situation.
Depression
Depression is experienced in many ways in all other stages of grief. There is no right or wrong way, neither is there any timeline. Depression in the situation of loss is not a sign of mental health condition. It is actually a natural response to grief. During this stage, you will start to face the reality of the current situation and the inevitable loss that you have just experienced. This realization may cause one to feel a deep sense of sadness which can, in turn, lead to fatigue, confusion, vulnerability, and others.
Acceptance
Accepting your loss does not mean that you are fine with what just happened. Depending on your encounter, it is understandable even if you do not ever feel this way. Acceptance is more on how you acknowledge the situation and how you learn to live with it and gradually readjust your life accordingly.
