Grief is our response to loss. It’s the process we go through when we lose somebody close to us, but it’s not strictly confined to someone’s death. Any loss can cause us to grieve – whether it is the loss of a parent, child, friend, or even the loss of an imagined future with a spouse when a marriage fails.

Even small moments of loss in our lives leave a somewhat lasting effect; such as moving house or home, leaving a workplace or graduating college.

While there are 5 typical phases of grief, we tend to “roller coaster” around between them, which makes it difficult to determine a strategy to help us cope with our loss.

To form a helpful response to our situation, we need to face our feelings and accept them for what they are. There’s little point in suppressing emotion and hoping it will go away. The emotions are there; ignoring them only make them last longer when we finally have to face them. Continue reading →

Grief is an overwhelming emotion akin to extreme sadness and usually a result of the loss of a loved one, a favorite pet or even the loss of an imagined future. Sufferers often find themselves feeling numb and distant from current events – often, they find keeping up with their job, hobbies, housework or even social interaction to be energy draining activities. So much so, that they isolate themselves from others during their grief.

Grieving is a process, rather than a specific emotion, and that’s why it’s a different thing to sadness.

The bad news is that the process can last several years. It all depends on how adaptable a person is to their lives being different to how they might have imagined it.

If you, or someone close to you, have been grieving for what seems like an unnecessarily long time, yet seem stuck in a cycle, then it may be necessary to consult a health care professional. Continue reading →