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The 4 Stages of Grief

Grief is an emotional response to a loss. All humans feel grief when they lose someone they loved or a beloved pet, or when they face a life-threatening or life-altering illness. Experts refer to grief as a process because it is felt and dealt with in stages. Not all people go through every stage and some feel each stage in a different order. Grief is a natural process that produces a range of emotions to help people deal with their losses and their fears.

  1. Denial

    • An individual's first response to bad news is often disbelief or denial. During this stage, people may feel emotionally numb. They may deny that the situation is happening, or they might try to reduce its the severity. Those in the denial stage often isolate themselves or withdraw emotionally. This is a natural part of the grief process, but those who remain in denial for too long risk emotional detachment and damaged relationships.

    Anger

    • Once a person has accepted a situation, he moves from denial to anger. People who have suffered a loss may try to find something to blame for the situation. They might blame God, themselves or even the one they lost. People in the anger stage might be irritable, have short tempers or lash out at people around them. They often don't realize that their anger comes from their grief.

    Depression

    • After awhile, anger fades and leaves behind despair and depression. At this point, an individual may feel as if her grief is permanent. She feels overwhelmed and helpless and starts to believe that her life will never improve. People in this stage of grief may try to shield themselves from their pain by withdrawing and closing off their emotions. The primary emotion during the depression stage is sadness.

    Acceptance and Hope

    • At this stage of the grief process, anger and sadness have begun to fade and a person begins to accept the loss. He begins to realize that he can overcome his grief. People at this stage often try to find hope in the situation. They look for meaning or for lessons they can learn. This stage of the grieving process is where recovery truly begins.

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