Dealing with Loss and Grief

Grief and loss can be a profound part of life. While it is quite expected that most people will experience some type of grief and loss at some point during their life, the way in which they experience it can affect their own personal reaction. Factors that can affect the way we handle grief and loss include our own individual personalities, our own prior experiences, the support available to us and the nature of the loss itself.
There are actually several different forms of grief, although they are all a result of some type of loss. Most of these types of grief can occur as a result of either death, kidnappings or serious public crimes, such as terrorist attacks.
Anticipatory grief occurs prior to the death of a loved one. This is generally a result of realizing the reality of the terminal illness of a friend or family member. Grief that is very public in nature is known as mourning. This may include loud vocalizations as well as withdrawing from society for a period of time. In some cases, grief may also be termed what is known as disenfranchised grief. This may occur when an individual does not have a way to vent their feelings of grief, such as through a funeral, wake, etc. This most commonly occurs in situations in which a baby is born either very premature or stillborn and the family is not able to see the child.
The symptoms of grief can include a sense of numbness, problems paying attention or distraction, anger, feelings of helplessness, guilt, difficult remembering, the sense that the person you lost may be communicating with you, feeling as though the person you lost will come back, loneliness, emptiness and self-accusation. In many cases grief can manifest itself physically as well. These symptoms can include fatigue, weight gain or less, hair loss, stomach problems, headaches, problems sleeping, chest pain and sleep walking.
Grief usually proceeds through several stages, the first of which is denial. You may feel as though you are only imagining the loss or death. The second stage usually involves some type of anger; which may be directed at various persons or even at God. The third stage may be related to some type of bargaining, most commonly with God, in order to reverse the loss. Next comes depression and finally acceptance.
While grief is never easy to endure, the symptoms of grief do usually dissipate over time; although the amount of time is different for every person. In some cases; however, grief can turn into something more serious, such as clinical depression. The symptoms that distinguish grief from clinical depression include drastic weight gain or loss, the inability to function in everyday activities, persistent thoughts of death, no sense of future and the tendency towards excessive amounts of sleep. When any of these symptoms appear, professional help should be sought immediately.

 
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