Are the Stages of Grief Real?

Moving cremation services Johnstown, PA, can help you feel better after you lose someone you love. When someone passes away, their survivors can go through the five stages of grief. The term is used to describe the emotions someone may experience when they’re dealing with very powerful grief.

However, there is nothing set in stone. Your grief experience is your own. You can experience emotions that no one else can truly understand. Yet, the stages of grief are still discussed because many people do fall into the pattern. Knowing that other people have been in the same situation and moved past it is powerful knowledge. It can help remind you that you don’t have to feel like this forever. The worst part of your grief can pass.

The first stage of grief is denial. You deny what happened because it doesn’t feel real. The deceased must still be alive, you just spoke to them yesterday, you can still see their shoes in the hallway. It’s very difficult for the reality of the deceased’s death to sink in if it was unexpected. There is no saying how long you may stay in this stage.

The next stage is anger. Anger at what happened, even anger at the deceased for dying. It’s a confusing, aggressive emotion. It’s common because death can be a surprise. It can come when life is going well. One moment everything is going well, the next moment everything has been turned upside down. When you’re dealing with this stage of grief, it’s good to find new healthy outlets.

When anger fades, bargaining takes its place. You try to make a deal. If only things go back to normal, you’ll never act out again. You’ll be the perfect spouse, parent, sibling, etc., to the deceased if you could only get them back. This type of bargaining doesn’t work because nothing can change reality. Your loved one has passed away. It can’t be reversed.

Once you realize that reality can’t be changed, you may fall into depression. That’s the next stage of grief. Depression can last for a long time. You may need to see a grief counselor help you fully process what happened. Depression isn’t easy to live with.

The final stage of grief is acceptance. You want to reach the acceptance stage even if you don’t hit any other stages of grief. Acceptance means you know what happened and you no longer try to change it. Acceptance doesn’t mean that you’re okay with it happened. It means that you know reality is unchanging.

Your grief is the backdrop you have to work with. The emotions don’t last forever. The acceptance phase if grief represents a powerful moment. You learn how to live with what happened.

The stages of grief don’t matter beyond what help they can give you. You can gain insight into what you’re feeling. The stages are not rule book dictating how you must grieve and in what way.

Cremation services Johnstown, PA, can help you heal. Contact the professionals at Hindman Funeral Homes & Crematory, Inc. today.