Emotion - 2nd Stage

Many consider emotional release the 2nd phase of bereavement. The shock that comes with the death of a loved one begins to wear off and raw feelings emerge.

This is probably the most recognized step in the grief process. A person can feel acute anguish and other emotions such as anger, fear, or guilt, all at once or in no particular order. Sometimes we wonder if we are going crazy. But remember….these are natural reactions, even if they are scary.

It is okay to cry, even good. It can help relieve pent up stress. We don’t need to feel uncomfortable with this natural event. Even Jesus wept.

It is part of the grieving process that most men and women need to go through. Some people who don’t allow themselves to cry, get stuck in this cycle of bereavement and thus slow their own grief journey.

Again there is no set time frame in the grief process, don’t get hung up on how fast or slow you go through this.

My own grief journey didn’t seem to fit neatly into these patterns because I grieved for the loss of the man I married to mental illness before his death ever occurred. So I guess you could say that I went through the process two times. I lost him twice – 1st to mental illness – 2nd to death.

So don’t compare yourself to anyone else. No one has experienced exactly what you are going through. But at one time or another in our lives we will all experience sorrow.

Granger Westberg says it well in his book “Good Grief”; “Suffering is not good, but you need not be devastated by it. Ultimately we can be healed of our bitterness and move ahead.”

Go to Stage 3 - Depressed / Lonely

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