HOW GRIEF FEELS

If you feel like you are losing your grip on reality, you might be a perfectly sane person enduring the confusion of grief.
 
Perhaps you suffer irrational fear, dread or even paranoia. You may feel empty or numb like you are in shock. Grief even causes some people to experience trembling, nausea, breathing difficulty, muscle weakness, loss of appetite or insomnia. Feelings of anger can also surface, even if there is nothing to be angry about.
 
Almost everyone tortures themselves with guilt by asking what they did wrong, how they might have prevented the loss, or some other form of self-condemnation. In short, grief makes us feel like our emotions have gone haywire because, in many ways, they have. Over time, however, you will regain a measure of equilibrium.

HOW GRIEF HEALS

The duration of the grieving process can be influenced by your relationship to the deceased, the amount of support you receive, and other factors. Understanding that grief is a normal emotion is a starting point. Even though it may not feel like it, grief can be a source of great hope. Your reaction against what is wrong comes from a deep yearning for things to be made right. Loss can open us to ultimate wholeness and restoration.

If you are feeling like grief has been persistent for too lengthy of time and is disruptive to the point where it impacts daily functions, please seek professional advice.