Five Stages of Grief

There are five different stages of grief. The stages of grief do not happen in any particular order. Each individual can experience different stages of grief at different times. 

Denial

Denial is the refusal to consciously or unconsciously accept the facts of the loss of your loved one.

“This cannot be happening to me.” This is most usually accompanied by “I feel fine – leave me alone.”

Anger

Anger is a natural emotion, and very natural after someone dies. Death may sometimes seem cruel and unfair, especially when someone has died before their time or you had plans for their future. 

Bargaining

When we are in pain, it is sometimes hard to accept the things that we can not change. The bargaining stage is when we begin to make deals with ourselves, or God. We want to believe that if we act in certain ways we will feel better.

Depression

Sadness and longing are often what comes to mind  when we think about grief. The pain of sadness can be very intense and come in waves over periods of time. You may feel like your life has no meaning or purpose which can be very scary.

Acceptance

Grief will come in waves and it can feel like nothing in life will ever be the same again. Gradually most people will find that the pain of loss gets better, and it is possible to accept what has happened. We will never ‘get over’ the death of someone precious, however, we can learn to live again,  all while keeping the memory of our loved one close to us.