It is comprehensible that dealing with the loss of a loved one is difficult. While you miss the people you cherished and shared your lives with, this is also a good moment to take stock of the positive experiences.

Even though no one ever plans on losing a loved one, anyone who has experienced it can attest to how terrible it is. The concept of “moving on” is difficult for anyone going through such loss to understand and will be of little use.

Grief is the emotional reaction to loss, especially the loss of a person to whom you had a close attachment or affection. Grief has many different aspects, in addition to its traditional focus on the emotional reaction to loss, including cognitive, physical, behavioral, cultural, and psychological aspects. Bereavement refers to the state of loss, whereas grief is the response to that loss, even though the expressions are frequently used simultaneously.

Photo source: Jessica Delp

It is normal to suffer grief after losing someone, but it is also crucial to understand that everyone grieves in their distinctive manner. It can take months or years to get over losing a loved one. A person may feel fine one day and completely broken the next, therefore, it is safe to state that healing is not a smooth phase though it is possible to get back strong.

Even though everyone’s experience of grief is unique, therapists have a reasonably clear definition of the different stages of grief. Here are several ways that experts can spot a person who has undergone a loss exhibiting indications of grief.

Phases Of Grief

There are five distinct stages of grief, according to Swiss psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. The five-phase grief concept aims to identify a typical grieving experience and is based on her work with patients who were towards the end of their lives.

• Denial

Denial is the initial stage. It is challenging to fathom the loss when you first hear about it, therefore, you frequently end up feeling dumbfounded and astonished. You can withstand the loss if you get through the early phase.

• Anger

The pain of the loss must be accepted as reality sinks in. You might feel helpless and enraged, and you might accidentally vent your rage on other people. It is critical to keep in mind that nobody is to blame and to come up with alternative grieving strategies.

• Bargaining

In this stage, you obsess about what you could have done to stop the loss at this point. No matter what happened, you were not to blame for the loss, although you can find it difficult to acknowledge this at this point in your grieving process.

• Depression

As you come to terms with the loss and how it has affected your life, sadness starts to set in. Crying, sleepiness or sleeping all the time, appetite loss, feeling overburdened, and solitude are all indications of depression. As long as it persists for a reasonable amount of time, this is accepted as a typical grieving process stage, unlike severe depression.

• Acceptance

When you reach this stage of grief, you accept the truth of your loss and are ready to start the challenging yet necessary process of moving on with your life. The ability to continue living a full life and celebrate your loved one’s departure makes this phase of grief one of the most gratifying, even though it can be the hardest to deal with.

You might go through multiple of these grieving phases as you work your way toward feeling better, while not every stage is common for everyone. Different stages of grief are experienced by people at various paces. Your approach to dealing with grief may differ from that of others as it can be felt in a variety of ways, not just the way that is “expected” of you. Finding a means to move on is the most critical aspect of grieving.

Moving On After A Loss

Anyone who has a loss finds it tough to move on, and since everyone deals with losses differently, it is difficult to say how to move on. Any significant life event, such as a loss, can be quite upsetting emotionally and disrupt your routine. To assist you to advance more swiftly and accept your loss, you might take a few actions.

Grief Therapy

The deceased’s relationship to you, and your religious convictions among others are a few of the variables that affect how you grieve. Grief can take its course and pass away on its own for some people, but counseling for grieving may be necessary for others. If you have symptoms like panic attacks, a lack of self-care, difficulty finishing daily duties, and trouble sleeping, among others, you might want to think about grief counseling.

It is crucial to consult a therapist if you are experiencing intense grief and exhibit any of the aforementioned symptoms as you will get help to move through your loss, no matter how impossible moving on may seem.

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Life requires overcoming challenges and obstacles of many types. Battling our struggles and fears determines who we are. – David Weatherford (Child psychologist)

Image of Temitope in a conversation with a staff of Dominion TV in Circle, Accra.

To love and be loved in return is one of everyone’s deepest dreams. Some people will go to great lengths, risking their safety, to visit their loved ones, even if it means traveling great distances.

Temitope Olabisi Karounwi is one of those people. She is a Nigerian woman in her 30s and a vendor on the streets of Circle, Accra. In October 2019, she left Lagos, Nigeria for Ghana after meeting a man online whom she believed to be a gift from God. Even though her story is very brief, it is nonetheless a poignant one. Their romantic journey appeared to be going well until the man in question revealed to Temitope on March 3, 2020, that his parents had counseled against their future intentions to wed. Temitope described how she attempted to hold on to him out of love for him, but all of her efforts were unsuccessful.

Temitope’s struggles in the streets of Accra

After experiencing disappointment, Temitope started her job hunt until she was hired at an eatery, where she was paid Ghc10 per day. She spoke of how difficult the struggle was yet had to make do with what she had at the time owing to the fact that she lacked the money to go back to Nigeria.

“It was not easy for me at all, but I wanted to achieve something with my life so I still saved out of the little I was making”. 

She finally succeeded in purchasing a refrigerator to sell on the streets of Circle, a city in Accra-Ghana, after some time. Even though she is now seeing a man she calls her dream partner, she sells sachet water and other beverages on the streets of Accra. According to Temitope, some days are good and some days are not at all good. She continues by saying that even though she is expecting a child and her current income is not sufficient to support herself and the child, she will continue to take each day as it comes until she achieves success.

She holds that even if she has made mistakes in her life, God never criticizes her and that His plans are always ideal, therefore she hopes for the day when all of her difficulties will be over. This is the story of a woman who followed her heart, experienced disappointment, and is making a valiant effort to support herself despite her difficulties.

She counsels everyone who is having trouble creating a fulfilling life for themselves through what they do to persevere since their breakthrough is closer than they think.

Do you, as a man or woman, strive to live a meaningful life in spite of whatever challenges you may encounter? While putting a lot of effort into realizing your dreams, never lose hope. Share this with family and friends, and do not forget to visit our website @www.dominiontv.net for more content on inspired and empowered living. Dominion TV; Africa’s Christian Lifestyle Network for Inspired and Empowered Living.

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