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Death - Grief - Mourning And
Bereavement
By Cheryline Lawson
The impact of death, grief and bereavement has different
effects for different people. Some cope with the loss of
a loved one in a variety of ways. Even though, it may be
a very difficult period, some people actually find some
kind of personal growth during the grieving process. It
may give them time to think about their own life and an
urgency to improve themselves to live a more purposeful
life in the event that they should face death also.
There is absolutely no correct way in coping with death,
grief and bereavement. A person's personality has a lot
to do with the process of grieving coupled with the
quality of the relationship with the person who has
died.
Anna Nicole Smith's mother did not have a good
relationship with her daughter, but it may have been the
daughter's choice because her grief was evident during
the recent trial. I am not sure it was possibly the
guilt of not having had the opportunity to say goodbye
to her daughter or the fact that she missed her
daughter. She may have been grieving even before Anna
Nicole Smith had died because a distant relationship can
also cause grief.
How a person copes with grief is affected by their life
experience, the kind of death, any cultural or religious
background, their own coping skills, the support systems
that are in place, and the person's social and financial
status.
Death, grief, bereavement, and mourning are intertwined
words that are closely related to each other, but they
have different meanings.
Death is the actual event that took place to initiate
the grief of losing a loved one. Death is a final step
to seeing, living with or communicating with the
deceased. Death is a pronouncement of the end of life on
earth and the commencement of mourning and loss.Death
often brings back memories of other past losses and thus
makes the grieving process more difficult.
Grief is the customary procedure of the reaction to the
loss. The person experiencing the loss feels like they
have had something taken away. Grief may be experienced
mentally, physically, socially, or emotionally depending
on each individual. Mental reactions may include anger,
guilt, feelings of anxiety, sadness, and utter despair.
Physical reactions can include sleeplessness, appetite
changes, physical problems, or possible illness. Social
reactions can include feelings of responsibility for
other family members, having to communicate with family
or friends, or going back to work. Like bereavement, the
level of grieving is dependent on the relationship with
the person who died, the circumstances surrounding the
death of the loved one, and how close the person was
with the person who died.
Bereavement is the initial period immediately after a
loss before the actual grieving process takes place and
it is the time when mourning begins to occur. The time
that someone spends in the bereavement period depends on
how attached the person was to the person who died, and
if there was any anticipatory grief period involved.
Mourning is the progression of adapting to the loss.
Mourning is prone to individual cultural customs,
spiritual rituals, and a partial societal rule for
coping with loss.
A person must experience grief before resuming daily
life. This is a period of making appropriate adjustments
of getting used to being without the deceased and
forming new relationships. This may initially bring some
feelings of guilt, but will soon pass after valuable
relationships are created. The person who is grieving
must seek out others for emotional satisfaction. New
identities, roles, skills, and lifestyles may change to
adjust to living without the loved one who died.
No matter how we view death, grief, mourning and
bereavement, the fact is that there is a loss and
getting the proper support system in place is the key to
recovery. |
