Stages of Grief

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines “grief” as a “deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement.“ In a simpler form, it could be defined as reaction to a significant loss. Naturally, such descriptions do little justice to the depth of the emotion, the all-encompassing pain it gives, and the far-reaching long-term effects on a person’s life it wreaks. At times it appears that grief is all there is within an affected life, yet this outlook rarely lasts a life-time. To those on the outside of this emotion, however, it appears that there is no change within the bereaved individual, and some secretly harbor a resentment, wishing the bereaved would finally “get over it” and move on with life. This first set of lessons will acquaint us with the face of grieve itself, its natural progression, and also factors that impede healing, such as the pain of experiencing a holiday for the first time without the loved one. Stages of Grief