Coping With Loss

Mrs. Blackwell

W.M.L.M.S

Pages in Teen Health

99-99

Grief: The sorrow caused

by a painful loss, such as the loss of a loved one.

Grief cont.

People may grieve over the death of a relative, a friend, or even a family pet.

People may grieve over other types of loss too. • Such as

having to move.

• Having a divorce in the family

Give other examples of why people might grieve.

Grief Reaction: the process

of dealing with strong

feelings following any loss.

There is no RIGHT or WRONG way to grieve. Everybody grieves in their own way.

Feelings of grief can

even occur years after

the loss.

Grief can cause feelings

of sadness, loneliness, or

even anger. There are

usually 5 common stages

that people may go

through when they are

grieving.

Stage of grief: Denial

• Immediately after a loss people may be in a state of shock.

• They may not be able to believe that the loss has occurred.

Stage of grief: Anger

• Some people feel angry

with their loved one for

leaving them.

• Some blame themselves

or others.

• Who else could a person

be mad at when

someone dies?

Another stage of grief: Bargaining

People think about what they could have done to prevent the loss.

They may feel guilt or may wish they had done more for the person when he or she was alive.

Another stage of grief: Depression

• People may cry.

• People may feel hopeless.

• They can even have physical symptoms, such as trouble sleeping.

Another stage of grief: Acceptance

People begin to move on. They gradually regain some of their energy and begin to accept the loss.

Coping strategies: These are ways of dealing with the sense of loss people feel when someone close to them dies.

• There is no way to undo a loss.

• However, it is possible to cope with the grief a loss can bring.

One way is give yourself time.

• Allowing yourself time to grieve and to accept your feelings.

• Allowing yourself to cry serves as a useful release.

It may also help to talk about your feelings.

• Who could a person talk to that could help then deal with their loss?