Grief and the Grieving Process
We all grieve at one time or another in our life time It can be over the loss of a loved one, whether it be a spouse, a child, a dear friend, or a pet. Grief occurs when a relationship ends even through divorce or breakup. Anytime we lose a person we love through any means there will be a grieving process that takes place. Many times when we feel stuck in grief there is some overlooked forgiveness that may need to take place that will then allow for us to move forward in life. Please read my forgiveness article if you feel stuck in grief and are struggling with moving forward in life.
The five common stages of grief are:
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
Many people experience all of these stages at one time or another and they can fluctuate by week, day, or even by hour. Some stages take longer than others. Some of us will stay in the stage of anger possibly longer than in the stage of bargaining or depression. We are different as far as how long the grieving process takes. Some will grieve and be ready to move on after a few months and for others it may take a few years. If you want some help on understanding your grief and instruction and guidance on how to get beyond your grief then we highly recommend the following two books on the subject of grief and grieving: “How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies” by Therese A. Rando and “On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss” by Elisabeth Kuebler . Both of these books have great insight and guidance that can help you during your grieving process.
Please read Letting Go of a Past Relationship and see our list of more books we recommend reading on this subject and Learning to be Happy
