Overview
Grief after you lose someone you love is natural. You may feel sorrow, confusion and deep emotion. You may also grieve in reaction to a sudden job loss, a move away from family and friends, a divorce, a chronically ill parent or even your own health problems.
At first, you may feel empty and numb. Physical symptoms may follow, such as nausea or trouble sleeping or eating. Sometimes, you may feel angry. Other times, you may feel regret - that you may have been able to change the situation. You may have strange dreams and be forgetful. This is all normal when you grieve.
Soon you will feel better as you learn to accept the loss or change. The time it takes to grieve varies from person to person. It depends on the situation, your personality, your lifestyle, your support system and your experiences. It may take months or it may take years.
Sometimes that grief can become depression, a highly treatable condition that takes over your mind and body. But it's a condition you don't have to live with. Get help if you think you are depressed.
Grief has a four-stage process. You learn to:
- Accept.
- Cry and feel the pain.
- Adjust.
- Move on.
You probably won't go through these stages in order, and you may back and forth these stages.
More on Grief & Bereavement What to Say to Someone Who Is Grieving
Losing a Parent, Spouse or Child
What Is Grief?
Emotions and Behaviors Associated With Grief
Is it Grief or Clinical Depression?
Q&A: What to Say When a Child Dies
Surviving the Loss of A Partner
Surviving the Holidays When You've Lost a Loved One
In the Encyclopedia:
Stress
General adaptation syndrome
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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