Grief & Loss

Everyone will have significant losses at some point in their lives. We will experience grief with the death of our loved ones. We will have grief with other non-death-related losses, such as loss of employment, relationship, physical health, or independence from a disability.

 

Grief is a natural and necessary emotional reaction to loss. The experience of grief varies with different individuals. People can have different emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioural reactions. Some common reactions include:

 

Emotional

• Shock & numbness – Usually the first reaction to loss. It is hard to believe we lose someone or something so valuable in our lives.

• Sadness – We can be overwhelmed with sadness and cry a lot. We may feel despair.

• Anger –We may become angry at the person we lost or the reason for our loss.

• Guilt – We may feel guilty about having anger/resentment, something we said or did not say, or the fact that we cannot stop our loved ones from dying.

 

Physical 

• Fatigue, tiredness, exhaustion

• Sleep disturbances – Difficulties falling/maintaining sleep or oversleeping too much

• Changes in appetite – Eating too little or too much

• Upset stomach

• Muscle tension

• Headache or pain

 

Cognitive

• Concentration and/or memory difficulties

• Difficulty making decisions, even simple ones

• Confusion

• Preoccupation with loss/death – We cannot stop thinking about the loved one or things associated with the loss.

 

Behavioural

• Avoid people or situations that remind us of the loss

• Change in activity level – working too much or too little

• Neglecting self-care, such as personal hygiene, nutrition, health

• Loss of interest in work, world events, social activities, or sex

• Increase consumption of alcohol, drugs, or medications to cope with the loss

• Acting out

 

Although grief can create strong and overwhelming reactions, especially at the beginning of the loss, many individuals will naturally have fewer symptoms of grief after a few months.