The one thing as humans, that we will all soon have to face is death. Death is known to come at most of us unexpectedly, I personally have experienced a handful of unexpected deaths. Yet, the most unpredictable part of death is the grieving process.Grieving is the most agonising process anyone can go through, this is because of the longevity of each stage. Yes, there are different stages of grief, there are five to be exact.
1: Denial
2: Anger
3: Bargaining
4: Depression
5: Acceptance
Denial: de·ni·al
/dəˈnīəl/
noun
- the action of declaring something to be untrue.
Denial. Denial has been labeled as the first stage of grief. According to American-Swiss psychiatrist, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, alongside author, David Kessler, " Denial is the first of the five stages of grief™️. It helps us to survive the loss. In this stage, the world becomes meaningless and overwhelming." From personal experiences, I can say that this was indeed the case for me, when I experienced a loss. Being in the denial stage, it seemed a bit unreal to me at first, I honestly just couldn't believe it. I soon came to learn that this was my unconscious way of trying to not show/hide my true feelings about the situation thus far.
Anger: an·ger
/ˈaNGɡər/
noun
1.a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.
Anger. Kübler-Ross and Kessler have described anger as " A necessary stage of the healing process", and studies have proven this to be true. When one goes through the anger stage it may be very hard to get over, but with the right people, I recommend talking to a therapist, and having a determined mindset about getting through this to be back in a peaceful mind state, you can get over it!
Bargain: bar·gain
/ˈbärɡən/
verb
gerund or present participle: bargaining
- negotiate the terms and conditions of a transaction.
"he bargained with the city council to rent the stadium"
Bargaining. Bargaining can also be known as a very vulnerable stage. You begin to try to make mental deals, or to tell yourself, " Well if i do this, then this will get better, or this good thing will happen", when in reality this is just you not ready to face the situation at hand, and that is okay. People heal differently and at different paces, but in the end you will heal. The most addictive, and most unrecommended bargain is the drug-numbing bargain. Some people say " Oh if I do this drug, I wont think about the situation, I'll be numb to everything." Meanwhile, in the midst of doing these drugs and other stimulants , you are actually putting yourself in a more dangerous situation that has an even longer and harder healing/recovering process.
Depression: de·pres·sion
/dəˈpreSH(ə)n/
noun
- 1.
feelings of severe despondency and dejection.
Depression. Can be seen as the most prolonged stage there is, depending on how it hits you. Most people who lose someone often fall into a depressed stage and don't even realize it. The word depression in itself comes with a lot of weight behind it, so some just ignore the signs altogether. This is not a healthy or effective way of dealing with depression in the grieving process. If you are feeling lost, empty, find yourself sleeping more or less than usual, eating more or less than usual after a traumatic event in your life, this might be a sign of depression. Again, these are not the only signs of depression, these are only examples. You can find a link to a website that helps you identify more signs of depression.
Acceptance: ac·cept·ance
/əkˈseptəns/
Noun
- the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.
Acceptance. The moment we've all been waiting. When you've finally come to terms within yourself that you are okay. We all know that any traumatic situation is nearly impossible to get ove, but with the particular situation that you are dealing with at the moment, you are at peace. You've allowed yourself to actually feel what you were feeling during each stage of grief, and now you feel yourself being rewarded with peace. For this, you should be really grateful, and proud of yourself.
For tips on how to identify signs of depression, visit : https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/depression-symptoms-and-warning-signs.htm
References: Kübler-Ross, Elizabeth, and, Kessler, David, On Grief and Grieving , 2005.
