Dealing With Life's Most Stressful Event Death

Life is full of stressful situations none more traumatic than having to deal with the death of a loved one. Spouse, child or parent; the grief is real. Dealing with this real pain means dealing with a wide range of emotions. The emotions are there even when the death is expected. The emotions are expressed as symptoms of grief and of loss. The emotions may include:

Anger
Confusion
Denial
Despair
Disbelief
Guilt
Humiliation
Shock
Yearning

These emotions and more may be felt in no particular order and some of the listed emotions may not be felt at all or may be delayed until much later.

Expressing these feelings are normal and are all common reactions to experiencing a loss. Those going through the death may not be prepared for feeling these emotions or how intense they may feel them or how quickly their emotions will change.

These emotions may be so intense that you may question your sanity as they engulf you. The fact that you have these feelings is not only appropriate but also healthy for you to have and express. These feelings will help you to deal with the death and to come to terms with your loss.

A major loss like the death of a loved one will take time to process and to deal with. The pain of the loss may ease with time but you will never stop missing the person. You will remember them when you hear a song, or visit a store, vacation spot or event that you shared with them. Other people will remind you of the person you lost and you will feel the loss over again.

Mourning the death is normal and is what allows you to eventually accept your loss. Everyone mourns in their own unique way and no way is right or wrong. The grieving is the outward expression of loss and there are physical expressions as well as psychological ones.

These normal feelings must be allowed to be expressed in what ever way seems appropriate for the individual having them. The expression should of course be done in a safe manner. Many individuals are uncertain as to how to approach the topic of death with someone who has experienced a recent loss. In uncertainty some people avoid, ignore or even deny the subject of death. At first the pain may be even easier to handle if it is ignored. Grief has a way of not being denied for long though and it will eventually find its way out and be expressed.

Those who ignore grief may have physical signs of suppressing it such as physical pain (stomach pain, intestinal upsets, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite and also loss of energy). Your natural defense system (immune system) may be seriously tested during this time of mourning. Any existing diseases may worsen at this time or the person grieving may notice that they experience new symptoms of disease. It is important to have medical appointments to monitor any health situations that occur during mourning.

Recommended Reading

1. Symptoms Of Grief Experienced By Death And Dying - There are many things that we experience sadness over as we go through life. When we are faced with our...
2. Understanding The Differences Between Grief And Mourning - Losing a family member or a friend due to an accidental death or even a long illness can be painful....
3. Helping Your Child Deal With Death - As much as we want to shield our kids from the unpleasant aspects of life, sooner or later they will...
4. Coping With Our Own Death - Death is a topic many of us try to avoid but none of us escapes from experiencing. As a child...
5. Death Of A Child - There are many scenarios regarding death - death of a pet, death of a parent, death of a spouse, death...