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Grief Loss - Picking Up The Pieces
By Vince Armstrong
Almost everyone on the planet has been touched by
grief-loss in some shape or form. Grief is something we
would rather not have to face but it is simply one of
life's realities. This article was written to help you
better understand and manage grief and perhaps help
someone else who is grieving. More often than not, we
are usually at loss for words to comfort someone who has
lost a friend or family. However understanding the
grieving process, the signs of grief and coping tips
will help you tremendously to handle grief-loss.
A person who is experiencing grief-loss usually goes
through five phases namely denial, anger, making deals,
depression and then acceptance. In the denial stage,
persons will exhibit disbelief, shock and a refusal to
accept the grief. The person may then begin to express
feelings of anger and resentment about the perceived
unfairness of the situation. Anger will give way to
making deals and then comes depression. If prolonged
depression persists then medical intervention should be
sought. The last phase is acceptance where the grieving
person is willing to pick up the pieces and slowly
return to normal life.
Some signs of grief-loss include:
• Losing interest in things or activities that were
initially important or brought happiness. Generally,
there is a loss of purpose for living.
• Sudden and drastic change in physical appearance. It
can range from being unkempt to the provocative.
• Spending more time to indulge in negative behavior or
activities such as substance abuse.
• Changing friends or avoiding old friends.
• Ignoring the grief and pretending that it never
happened.
• Drastic change in sleeping and eating habits. This
could include oversleeping and overeating or the
opposite.
Despite the ill-effects of grief, the good news is that
you can cope. We have provided a few coping tips below
to navigate you through grief-loss.
• Daily give yourself something you like. Start living
again.
• Join a support group with other persons who have or
are experiencing grief. This will allow you to speak
openly about your grief while empathizing with others.
• Seek to find ways that you can give back to society.
Sometimes doing acts of kindness and charity have a
remarkable way of helping to heal the pain caused by
grief-loss.
• Become involved with organizations that are focused on
helping people to handle grief. You may find that your
experience may be a source of healing for others. You
may even discover a gift in the process.
• Visit a grief counselor for one-on-one sessions if you
are not ready for group therapy.
Dealing with grief-loss is never easy - both for the
person who is grieving and the others around who are
trying to offer support. The key to better grief
management is understanding the different stages of
grief and utilizing the appropriate coping mechanism.
Grief-loss is a constant in life; therefore, having
information will help to make the process a little
easier. The good news is that grieving does not have to
last forever if it is managed well. |
