Bereavement
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us. It’s essential to highlight that bereavement affects people in different ways, and there’s no right or wrong way to feel.
It’s natural to go through a range of physical and emotional processes as we gradually come to terms with the lost.
Levels of bereavement or grief
There’s no time limit on grief and this varies hugely person to person, if you’re experiencing bereavement, you’re likely to go through all these stages, but you won’t necessarily move smoothly from one to the next:
- accepting that your loss is real
- experiencing the pain of grief
- adjusting to life without the person who has died
- putting less emotional energy into grieving and putting it into something new
Feelings of grief
Your grief might feel chaotic and out of control, but these feelings will eventually become less intense, you might feel:
- shock and numbness
- overwhelming sadness, with lots of crying
- tiredness or exhaustion
- anger
Getting support
Talking and sharing your feeling with someone can help. A lot of people experiencing bereavement will reach out to family and friends for support. However, if you don’t feel you can talk to them, or perhaps they are grieving too, you can contact local bereavement services through:
- your local hospice
- the Cruse Bereavement Care freephone national helpline on 0808 808 1677
- your GP