Introduction to grief

Grief is a multidimensional response to a loss. Loss is an inevitable part of life and overcoming that grief is a cycle. The dictionary defines grief as a deep, prolonged, mental anguish over a loss. Grief can have many reasons like loss of a loved one, end of a long relationship etc. It does not have any parameters because the reaction depends on the extent of loss. And so is the time taken to get over the Loss. For example the extent and the time required to get over thepain because of death of a spouse cannot be compared to the pain for the loss of a pet. Hence grief is said to be a multidimensional reaction and its dimensions cannot be defined. Grief does not end within a specific time period it is a process defining the various stages a person goes through before his mental balance is restored.

Five stages of grief

According to the researches, there are five stages of grief.

*Denial: In the first stage of grief the person suffers from a state of shock and denies the loss. Life seems meaningless to the person. He questions every passing moment "why did it happen?" This phase helps the person overcome the feeling of shock and loss and help him accept the reality. This is a healing phase which leaves the person stronger as it fades.

*Anger: Anger is a manifestation of pain which the person considers as an anchor. More the pain more is the intensity of this feeling and more is the feeling of love for the bereaved. This phase is about the transformation of pain and weakness into strength.

*Bargaining: This is the phase where the person feels he can give anything up to make up for the loss and get the person back into his life.

*Depression: After the stage of bargaining the person feels an emotional void inside in which the pain seems to seep into the deeper levels of lives. The person feels as the pain and void would never end and they will have to survive with it for the rest of their lives. Depression is not unusual or unnatural. The person withdraws from the world.

*Acceptance: This phase is about accepting the fact that the person is physically no more in this world and about the realization that its time to move on because the loss cannot be reversed. The person then mentally gets prepared to take the challenges of life ahead.