Grieving, A look into love and loss

Loss is something everyone deals with. Death is just a common part of life and so is grieving. Loss can happen in many different cases such as, loss of a pet, loss of a child or a miscarriage and loss of a loved one. Loss doesn't always have to be in the case of death either. Loss can also be loss of a friendship, going through a divorce or breakup, or loss of a job. In this article I will be talking about the emotions people go through during the stages of grieving.

Initially, when you hear a loved one of yours passed away you are in shock and denial. You heard this with your own ears, but your heart doesn't want to believe it. Hearing this makes you feel sick to your stomach and you just want to cry your eyes out. At other times, you can't feel anything or don't know what to feel except "numb". You feel your entire world has come to a complete stop and there's nothing you can do about it.

Once the shock and denial starts to fade, most people start to notice the pain they are feeling. This is when reality hits you and you know that your loss is real. In some situations, people also feel guilt. People often wonder if there is something they could've said or done to prevent this. In most cases, this feeling of guilt emerges if someone died of an overdose or a tragic accident at a young age other than a loved one dying of old age. Even if it hurts, you need to acknowledge these feelings.

As time goes on, you may start to feel anger. In the case of an overdose, someone may feel angry at the person who gave your loved one the drugs or enabled them to do the drugs. In another circumstance, such as a car accident someone may be angry with the drunk driver or the driver texting and not paying attention to the road. Some may even try to bargain by trying to have things end differently.

A very tough part of the grieving process is feeling depressed, lonely and reflecting on what has happened. People commonly start to think of how this loss affected their life. Even if one feels lonely, they may cut themselves off from others. This may mean even someone who is an extrovert could stop spending time with friends or socializing. This stage of grief is also very hard for a person who was already suffering from depression. If you know someone who has been through a loss, it is best to be there for them and be a support system. What a lot of people would refer to as, "A shoulder to cry on".

Overtime things do start to get better and you begin to recover. It may sound cliche' but, as each day passes things begin to take a turn for the better. Even if someone doesn't notice this or doesn't start feeling happy right away, your heart is trying to tell you something. Your heart is trying to tell you that it is healing and that everything will be okay.

A human being who has been hurt, can't just wake up one morning and feel happy again all at once. Healing and grieving are a long process. Your heart is repairing itself and some people take longer than others to feel themselves again. During this phase of grief, most people do start to take a turn for the better. You feel like yourself a lot more and start to live your life the way you were before the loss occurred.

Acknowledging the loss is a first step of moving forward with your life. It may take longer for someone to grief or recover than another person. For some, therapy is a great way to deal with the loss and heal their heart. For others, just time can help. Giving it time and not rushing the process is a key point in feeling better. If someone tells you to, "Get over it already" then they are probably not a very positive person in your life. Take as much time as you need. You will start to accept what has happen and feel fine about taking a step further.

In conclusion, just do what you need to do to heal. This doesn't mean to live in the past forever, but it also doesn't mean that you should forget about who you lost. They will always be with you and have a piece of your heart. Carry their memory with you, because they will be walking beside you on this journey called life. Try not to associate the thought of them as a sad one, but remember the good times. Let their memory live on and they will always be with you.