
The Journey of Grief: Understanding the Stages of Emotional Healing
Grief is a common emotion that most people will experience at least once throughout their lifetime. It’s a natural response to any type of loss that occurs in life.
Even though grief can happen to everyone, the actual journey of grief isn’t the same for each person. It can cause disruptions and additional signs and symptoms that can turn someone’s world upside down.
Despite what you may have been told or heard about when you were growing up, grief isn’t a five-step process. It’s also not linear. Let’s take the time to better understand grief, as well as the stages of emotional healing.
What Causes Grief?
Grief is caused by experiencing some type of loss in your life. The most common source of grief is the loss of a loved one. But that’s not the only event that leads to grief. These are some of the most common causes of grief besides bereavement:
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- Death of a pet
- Divorce
- Financial issues
- Health problems
- Lack of safety or security
- Life changes (moving, graduating, career changes)
- Losing a job
- Miscarriage
- Retirement
- Selling a family home
The Signs and Symptoms
Grief can impact people in different ways. That being said, many people will experience some of the same types of symptoms throughout their healing journey. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of grief are as follows:
Emotional Signs and Symptoms
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- Anger
- Anxiety
- Disbelief
- Fear
- Guilt
- Sadness
- Shock
Mental Signs and Symptoms
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- Avoidance
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty making decisions
- Loss of identity or self
- Rumination
Physical Signs and Symptoms
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- Aches and pains
- Appetite changes
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Lowered immunity
- Nausea
- Sleeping problems
- Weight fluctuations
Social Signs and Symptoms
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- Detachment
- Lack of confidence
- Loneliness
- Withdrawal from loved ones or previously loved activities
The Grieving Process
In the grieving process, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to grieve. Some may feel better within a few weeks, and others may experience a longer grieving process that takes up to years.
How a person grieves is a unique experience for them based on the loss that occurred, their previous life experiences, personality, coping style, and more. You can’t flip a calendar forward to a few months from now, circle a date on that month, and hope to be fully healed by then. It doesn’t work like that. The grieving and healing process takes time.
How to Emotionally Heal From Grief
The grieving process isn’t an easy one to navigate. Even though loss in life is expected, it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with it when it happens to you or to someone important to you. These are some of the best ways that you can kick-start the process and work towards emotionally healing from grief:
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- Acknowledge the loss
- Allow yourself to feel
- Acceptance
- Be kind to yourself
- Give yourself grace
- Educate yourself about your signs and symptoms
- Understand that your grieving process will be unique to you and your wants and needs
- Take care of yourself
- Lean on your loved ones
- Plan ahead for any potential triggers
- Reach out for additional support
Next Steps
Grief can make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster. There may not be a specific book that you can follow with a step-by-step plan of what to do when you’re experiencing grief. No one else will experience grief in the same way that you do. This is why it’s extremely important to give yourself time and grace to heal at your own pace.
Don’t delay in getting the help you need and deserve. Reach out today to learn more about our grief or anxiety counseling options and how working with a mental health professional can help you along your healing process.
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