Bereavement & Grief
Bereavement refers to the state of grief and sorrow experienced after the loss of a loved one, involving emotional and often physical responses to the death or absence of someone close.
If you have experienced the death of someone who was important to you, you might find it very difficult to adjust to the immense changes happening in your life. Grief can shake everything up – your beliefs, your personality, and even your sense of reality.
Mourning is the time we spend adjusting to loss. There is no standard time limit and there is no right or wrong way to feel during the mourning period – everyone must learn to cope in their own way.
Grief, although normal, can manifest in a huge range of unexpected ways. Some people get angry, some withdraw further into themselves and some people become completely numb. Sometimes, grief can stir up previous losses that have not been fully processed and this can feel confusing.
Different emotions associated with grief include:
Sorrow
longing (to see them again)
guilt
numbness
anger
hopelessness
loneliness
despair
What you feel after a person has died will depend on the relationship you had with that person and the nature of their death. Of course, there is no telling what form your grief will take, and everyone’s experience is unique.
As painful as it feels, it is important to let yourself mourn for your loss. Some people have trouble accessing their feelings and remain in a state of unresolved mourning. They need some help to process the loss and understand what they are going through.
