Grief is a word that defined by the dictionary means deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone's death.
The term grief is more than just a word to those that have experienced it, though. Grief can mean a multitude of things, and it can bring about 100 different emotions
The feeling is different for everyone.
To some it feels like waves are hitting them over and over and they can't seem to get up. You feel like you are gasping for air every second, and gripping onto every last piece of comfort you can find, just hoping that you will somehow make it through the storm that life has thrown at you. It feels like you're drowning, falling deeper, as each wave comes crashing down on your world.
To some it's a feeling of anger and frustration. You're furious at the world, yourself, God, everything. You want to yell at everyone around you for not knowing what to say and for not being there for you as much as you thought they'd be. You want to scream at the top of your lungs at every person that tries to ask you if you're okay. You start to forget that not everyone has the same heart that you do, and you just want to shut everyone out and start life over without them.
Then there is the worst feeling of all: complete hopelessness. You feel empty- like life has lost all of its meaning. You begin to feel like no one truly cares about you anymore and that now you are just a face that everyone looks at with pity. Your world has fallen apart and there's nothing left to make you happy. You no longer know how to perform even the simplest everyday task. You are so distraught that you just want to shut your eyes and leave the world behind.
Along with all of these terrible emotions come hundreds of other feelings that can only be understood by someone who has faced them. Everyone's experience with grief is different and each individual handles situations in their own way. Some people will feel these specific emotions every day, and some may not feel any of them at all. Some may find comfort in certain objects or places and others may steer clear of the things that remind them of what they've lost. One person may love getting texts from loved ones daily asking how they are, and others dread having to tell people about their struggle. Some people ache for months and some only do for days.People around you can tell you how they think you should be acting, or how you should feel, or how long your process of grieving should last, but the only glimpse of comfort I've come to find in a stage of grief is that no one can truly tell you how to do it. Nobody can tell you that you are too sad, or too angry, or that you aren't as upset as you should be. No one can tell you that your time is up, and you should be okay again. Each person experiences their own set of emotions, every individual feels a different hit of reality each day, and everyone grieves differently.
So that's the thing about grieving - there is no right way to do it.
