What is Grief?
The definition of grief includes: emotions and sensations that accompany the loss of someone or something dear to you. The English word comes from the Old French grève, meaning a heavy burden. This makes sense when you consider that grief often weighs you down with sorrow and other emotions that can have both psychological and physical consequences.
When someone close to you dies, you dont just lose that person on the physical level, you also face the loss of what might have been. Your pain can involve missing that persons presence: sleeping in a bed thats half empty, craving a scent or an embrace. But knowing that your loved one will miss all of the milestones in your life often lasts longer than the pain of the physical absence. This may include the children that were never born, the trips not taken, colleges not attended, weddings not danced at every life marker can be a reminder and an occasion for renewed grief.
Grief is the natural reaction to loss. Grief is both a universal and personal experience. Individual experiences of grief vary and are influenced by the nature of the loss. Some examples of loss include the death of a loved one, the ending of an important relationship, job loss, loss through theft of the loss of independence through disability.
Experts advise those grieving to realize they cant control the process and to prepare for varying stages of grief. Understanding why theyre suffering can help, as can talking to others and trying to resolve issues that cause significant emotional pain, such as feeling guilty for a loved ones death.
Mourning can last for months or years. Generally, pain is tempered as time passes and as the bereaved adapts to life without a loved one, to the news of a terminal diagnosis or to the notion that someone they love may die.
If youre uncertain about whether your grieving process is normal, consult your health care professional. Outside help is sometimes helpful to people trying to recover and adjust to a death or diagnosis of a terminal illness
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