Grief is an emotion that everyone faces at some point in their life. Grief can occur due to the loss of a loved one, a divorce, during illness or even after losing your job. Everyone deals with grief a little differently, but Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a well known doctor from Switzerland, classified the basic tendencies of grief into five main stages.
Denial and Isolation
The first stage of denial according to Kübler-Ross is denial and isolation. During this stage you tend to withdraw from social situations including family and friends while at the same time trying to convince yourself that the loss did not occur. Feelings that the event just can't be real are common, and you may try to avoid people or situations that remind you of the person or event that caused the grief.
Anger
The second stage of denial is anger. During this stage you begin to accept that the loss occurred but cope by blaming yourself or others. You may even be angry at the person you are grieving, for whether their actions led to your loss or for leaving you.
Bargaining
Bargaining is the next stage of grief, according to Kübler-Ross. During the bargaining stage you may try to find ways to change the situation through bargaining. For example, if you are religious you may bargain with God to bring your loved one back, or if you are grieving over a divorce or breakup, you may bargain saying that you will change if your spouse or significant other returns to you or gives you another chance.
Depression
The next stage of grief is depression. This stage occurs when you finally reluctantly accept what has occurred, and it begins to affect your emotional state. Depression is typically marked by sadness and crying, but may also affect your sleep, work and social relationships. Anger may still be present, but it typically remains under the surface during this stage, notes the Towanda Memorial Hospital.
Acceptance
The final stage of grieving is acceptance. Although the sadness and grief may still affect you periodically, such as on the anniversary of the event, during activities that remind you of your loss or during a family holiday, in the acceptance stage you no longer let your loss interrupt your life. During this stage you move on to the next phase of your life, whatever it may be. You may have to cycle through the above stages more than once to reach this final stage.
