Understanding the Stages of Grief

What are the stages of grief? These are stages that each person goes through until they have finally accepted the death of a loved one. It is important to note that there is no time frame for how long these stages are going to last. Everyone is going to work through these stages at their own pace, some faster than others.

Denial

The first stage of grief is denial. This is often the first response to the news that a loved one has died. You may want to deny the reality of this situation. This is especially true when the person dies unexpected. This is often a feeling that is given to help a person avoid going into shock.

Anger

Anger often comes at the heels of denial. You have faced reality that the loss is real. But you are angry about this. You may feel the need to blame someone, or you may turn the anger in toward yourself. You may even be angry with the loved one for dying.

Bargaining

Bargaining is when you start to question yourself. For example, you may blame yourself for the loved one dying, why didn’t you take them to the hospital sooner? Why didn’t you notice that something was wrong? This is normal; however, you will soon realize that it is not going to help anyone in feeling like this.

Depression

Depression often happens when the loss is being dealt with. There may be periods that you cannot sleep, bouts of crying, feeling lonely, having no energy and the like. It is a common stage, but remember if this becomes too much, you need to talk to a professional.

Acceptance

Acceptance is the final stage of grief and it may come suddenly and at any stage. This is when you have accepted the person’s death and can now begin healing.

Here at Arbutus Funeral Services we are here to help you in any way that we can, not only with planning a great service, but helping you to cope with this loss.