Grief... Everyone will Experience It

When we lose someone or something we will go through grief.  

We have all experienced grief. We have all had those intense waves of emotion.  Whether we lose our job, our beloved dog, our health, our imagined future (as in divorce), or when a beloved friend or relative dies, we will experience grief.

There are specific stages of grief as described by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her book, On Death and Dying.   In it, she identified five stages that a dying patient experiences when informed of their terminal prognosis.  We can apply these stages to our everyday loses. 

The stages Kubler-Ross identified are:

• Denial (I cannot believe this is happening to me!)
• Anger (It isn’t fair.  Why me? It is _____’s fault.)
• Bargaining (I promise I'll be a better person if... Or… If I had done something differently this would not be happening)
• Depression (I don't care anymore.  This is an important stage and must not be thwarted.)
• Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes.)

After you think you are done with all the stages do not be surprised to realize you are going through them again and then again.  The stages do not always come in this order.  They may mix up some and repeat and then finally acceptance will come.

There is no time frame on any of the stages.  But if there is difficulty in any stage one may need to seek professional assistance.   You may not recognize you are having difficulty but your family or friends will let you know.  Please listen to them. 

Grief is part of life.  It is part of death.  This is how God so wonderfully made us.