What is grief?

Grief is a natural response to loss; the emotional pain you feel when someone you love is gone. Sometimes the pain can be difficult and overwhelming. You may experience all sorts of emotions from anger to sadness to even feelings of guilt. You may find yourself oscillating between different emotions on a daily basis. At times like these, it is normal to experience a disruption in your daily routine and to have difficulties with tasks such as, eating consistently, sleeping adequately.

Grieving is a highly individual experience and there are no right ways or wrong ways to grieve. How you grieve depends on many factors, which may include your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and how significant the loss was to you.

It is also important to know that grief takes time and healing happens gradually. The process of healing takes weeks or months, or even years depending on the impact of the loss on your life. Regardless, it is important to be patient with yourself and know that you can't just "get over it". 

Resources

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK

www.grief.com