There is no right or wrong way to feel. You may experience all kinds of difficult and unexpected emotions, from shock or anger to disbelief, guilt, and profound sadness. Shock & Numbness Right after a loss, it can be hard to accept what happened Shock feels like a fog. It is the body’s way of protecting us from early pain. You may feel numb, not believing that the loss really happened and sometimes distortion of time and space. Denial & Disbelief You might doubt the reality of the loss at first. Individuals believe the diagnosis is somehow mistaken, and cling to a false, preferable reality. "How could this happen?", "It can't be true". Anger It is seen as an unfair thing that has happened. We may direct our anger rationally or irrationally and Blaming Yourself, the doctors, blaming others, a higher power, or even at a loved one who has passed away. "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to blame?"; are common feelings. Guilt You can feel guilty for a number of reasons: You feel that you could have done something differently to prevent the person from dying. You may wish that you had said or done something whilst they were still alive. Worry and fear Following the loss of someone close to us we can be left wondering how we will fill the gap left in our lives, and can experience a sense of changed identity. You may even have panic attacks. Yearning or longing We search for the comfort we used to have from the person we have lost and we try to fill the void of their absence. Bargaining When bargaining starts to take place, we are often directing our requests to a higher power that may be able to influence a different outcome. Feelings of guilt like "If only I had done more", "If I had only been..." Intense sadness Feeling tired, hopeless, helpless, like you have lost perspective, isolated or needing to be around others. "Everything is a struggle", "What's the point?", "I miss my loved one; why go on?" The individual may become silent, refuse visitors, isolate himself and spend much of the time mournful and sullen whilst reflecting on things he did with his loved one and on memories from the past. Emptiness You feel the absence of his presence in the house, On his bed where he slept, On the chair he sat. It is like experiencing a hole in our heart and our life. Mixed feelings You may find that you feel a mix of emotions like sadness, anger, guilt and anything in between. We can feel all, none or some of these things. Acceptance Acceptance doesn’t mean being “all right” or “OK” with what has happened. Most people don’t ever feel OK or all right about the loss of a loved one. This stage is about accepting the reality that our loved one is physically gone and recognizing that this new reality is the permanent reality. PHYSICAL REACTIONS OF GRIEF Crying, Sleeplessness, Fatigue, Restlessness, Nausea, Aches and Pains, Not feeling like eating, Muscle tension, Agitation, Upset Stomach, Weight loss or weight gain.
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