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Physical & Emotional Signs of Grief

Grief is a painful but natural response to loss, such as the death of a loved one, the end of a significant relationship or friendship, leaving or losing a job, loss of health or any other significant loss. Everyone grieves differently and in one's own time, depending on the significance of the loss and personality, coping style and life experiences. However, people going through the grieving process often experience certain emotional, physical, social and spiritual signs of grief.

  1. Emotional

    • Emotional signs of grief can vary from person to person, but the most common emotions felt during the grieving process are referred to as "the five stages of grief" --- denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. However, not everyone may experience all or any of these emotions, and some may experience them separately or in any order. Certain people may even revisit some of these emotions throughout the grieving process. Other emotional signs of grief may include feelings of disbelief, numbness, sadness, yearning, emptiness, loneliness, guilt, fear, worry, anxiety, resentment or frustration.

    Physical

    • Grief isn't just an emotional process: The emotional stress of grief can lead to physical symptoms. Crying is the most common physical sign of grief, but grief involves a variety of other physical symptoms. Physical symptoms and signs of grief may include loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss or weight gain, difficulty sleeping, weakness and fatigue, or headaches and other physical aches and pains.

    Social

    • The emotional and physical symptoms of grief can affect the way you behave in your day-to-day life and social life. Signs of grief in your day-to-day life may include an inability to return to your regular daily activities, a lack of interest in activities and other things you once enjoyed, lack of initiative or difficulty concentrating, and lack of productivity at work. Social signs of grief may include an over-dependency on others or feeling detached from others and isolating yourself socially by avoiding people and social situations.

    Spiritual

    • Spiritual expressions of grief are also common when going through the grieving process, especially with the death of a loved one. However, spiritual signs of grief, and whether or not you experience them, can vary, depending on your religious beliefs and how you view death. General spiritual signs of grief may include questioning the reason for your loss and the purpose of pain, suffering, life and death. If you're religious, you may feel closer to God, or you may feel the complete opposite and find yourself angry at or cut off from God.

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