Grief reactions
A common question we hear from those recently bereaved, especially if the experience of grief is new, is: ‘What’s happening to me?’ That’s often because they are experiencing a range of responses and for some it can feel incredibly intense, overwhelming, and confusing.
Grief reactions may also change from minute to minute, day to day, year to year. It is also important to know that different people who have been impacted by the same death, can have very different reactions. As individuals we each have different personalities and ways of coping that influence how we each grieve. It is even possible to experience both gloomy grief reactions and positive reactions at the same time.
In this blog from Griefline they explore the different experiences of grief. They explore the question: what am I feeling? They also explore how our expectations of grief are often different to our reality.
| UNIQUE GRIEF EXPERIENCE | ||
|---|---|---|
| SOCIALLY:
withdrawn and isolated, avoiding people and places, change of faith or beliefs, obsessing over what is lost |
BIOLOGICALLY:
heart racing, shortness of breath, nausea, sleeplessness, lethargy, changes to appetite, lack of focus, physical pain. |
PSYCHOLOGICALLY:
rollercoaster of emotions; shock, overwhelm, confusion, helplessness, despair, guilt, rage, denial, depression, restlessness, relief |
Source: griefline.org.au | How to Support a Grieving Friend eBook