Not bad to revisit sometimes

The Stages of Grieving

1) ShockImmediately following the death, it is difficult to accept the loss. A feeling of disbelief.During those first days there is a feeling of being-out-of-touch.

2) Emotional ReleaseThe awareness of just how dreadful the loss is accompanied by intense pangs of grief. In this stage a grieving individuals sleeps badly and weeps uncontrollably.

3) PanicFor some time a grieving person can feel in the grip of mental instability. They can find themselves wandering around aimlessly, forgetting things, and not being able to finish what they started. Physical symptoms also can appear -- tightness in the throat, heaviness in the chest, an empty feeling in the stomach, tiredness and fatigue, and headaches.

4) GuiltAt this stage an individual can begin to feel guilty about failures to do enough for the deceased, guilt over what happened or what didn’t happen.

5) HostilitySome individuals feel anger at what “caused” the loss.

6) Inability to Resume Business-as-Usual ActivitiesThe ability to concentrate on day-to-day activities may be severely limited. It is important to know and recognize that this is a normal phenomenon. A grieving person’s entire being – emotional, physical and spiritual, is focused on the loss that just occurred. Grief is a 100% experience.

7) Reconciliation of GriefBalance in life returns little by little, much like healing from a severe physical wound. There are no set timeframes for healing. Each individual is different.

8) HopeThe sharp, ever present pain of grief will lessen and hope for a continued, yet different life emerges. Plans are made for the future and the individual is able to move forward in life with good feelings knowing they will always remember and have memories.