Responding to Grief

When someone you love dies, you may experience deep feelings of grief. In response to your grief, you may:

• Have feelings of anxiety from a light sense of insecurity to an intense panic attack
• Experience a hollow feeling in your stomach and tightness in your chest
• Feel guilt at times or anger at your loved one for leaving you; you also may have feelings of anger with yourself or others
• Have feelings of restlessness or find it difficult to concentrate
• Have thoughts of disbelief that your loved one is no longer coming home
• Sense your loved one’s presence (like hearing a voice or expecting your loved one to walk in the door at the usual time)
• Absent-mindedly wander around the house or forget to finish things you started
• Have difficulty sleeping or waking early in the morning and have frequent dreams of your loved one
• Experience extreme fatigue
• Encounter an intense preoccupation with thoughts of your loved one
• Withdraw from your family and friends or avoid social occasions
• Feel obligated to tell and retell the story about your loved one and the circumstances surrounding the event of their death
• Cry at unexpected times or your mood may change over the slightest things

These are all natural and normal responses to bereavement and grief. Please keep in mind that everyone responds differently. It is important when you feel distressed to reach out to others to help you through these difficult times. We cannot prevent or cure grief. The only way out is to go through it.

For more information regarding grief and to learn about additional resources, please contact us at familyservices@lopa.org or 1-800-521-GIVE.

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