Is There a Normal Experience of Grief?
Is there a normal experience of grief? In short, no.
Grief is experienced uniquely by each person. It captures a wide range of emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical responses to loss and transition.
It can be triggered by the death of a loved one, or other losses like divorce and moving.
There are common features of grief, like anger and denial, but these are not experienced in linear stages.
There is no formula timeline for grief. We do not “complete” a stage and move on.
Some parts of the grieving process will be revisited several times. New seasons of life may reveal new insight about the impact of our loss.
Though grief never completely disappears, it usually becomes less intense over time.
When left unacknowledged, grief can bottle up inside and create pressure on other areas of our lives.
The pressure is relieved when we are able to express our grief, find support in our communities, and create meaningful ways to honor our loss.
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