Understanding the Stages of Grief

Grieving the loss of someone close to you can be extremely difficult. Other than the feelings of sadness and loss, you may experience feelings of fear, confusion, denial, and anger, just to name a few. After services from funeral homes in Murfreesboro, TN., everyone will grieve in their own way and in their own time.

While there is no set way to grieve, there are stages of grief that are pretty universal. Understanding these stages can help you know a little more of what to expect and help you realize that what you are feeling is normal. These stages can be broken down into five main categories that we are going to dive into.

Denial

Denial is the first stage. This is the stage in where we tend to feel lost and confused. We may feel as if we can’t go on or we don’t believe this is all true or really happening. Although denial may seem more harmful than good, it is actually beneficial in letting us pace our grief. It’s a natural way in letting us only deal with as much grief as we can handle.

Anger

In this stage, we can experience strong feelings of anger and resentment. We may question God or the universe on how they could let this happen. This anger may be directed towards friends, family members, and even strangers. Just know that the majority of the time, the anger we are directing at them has nothing to do with them, but they are just an outlet for the feelings. These feelings will subside, and as long as they don’t get out of hand, they are a normal part of the grieving process.

Bargaining

In this stage we make statements in hope of changing fate. These can be done before the loss of our loved one and can include things such as:

• “If you just let them live, I promise to be a better person”
• “I promise to do X if you cure them of their disease”

These statements can also take place after the loss of our loved one. For example, “If you take away this pain, I will devote my life to being a better person”.

Depression

Depression can be a very difficult stage. In this stage we may not even feel like getting out of bed or doing any of our normal daily activities. We may feel the pain is too unbearable and that it will never end. We may withdraw and isolate ourselves from our friends and family.

While these feelings are normal and valid, you need to be careful here that the feelings don’t go on too long or get too intense. If you feel that you are having a hard time snapping out of this stage, reach out and ask for help.

Acceptance

The final stage in grieving is acceptance. This is the point that you begin to come to terms with your new reality and how life will now be. This doesn’t mean you are not still experiencing feelings of sadness; it just means, you can begin to see a new way of life with a little bit of hope for the future.

Attending services at funeral homes in Murfreesboro, TN can be important to begin the grieving process. While everyone will go through the stages at different times and in different orders, knowing what the stages are and what they consist of can help you better understand and get through your grief.