Simply defined, grief is the normal and natural reaction to significant emotional loss of any kind. While we never compare losses, any list would include death and divorce as obvious painful losses. Our list also includes many others: retirement, moving, pet loss, financial and health issues, among them. Keeping this definition in mind, throughout our lifetime, the experience of grief is inevitable for each one of us.
Although a universal & inevitable life experience, grief is also highly individual & unique. As every relationship is unique, so are the feelings and thoughts that each person will have about a relationship that has been altered by death, divorce, or other reasons.
The range of emotions associated with grief is as varied as there are people and personalities. There is no list of feelings that would describe one person’s emotions, much less an entire society.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest obstacles to helping individuals resolve their grief issues is actually identifying the problem as grief. Many individuals experiencing the pain associated with grief are simply unaware that they are grieving. Additionally, many of the chronic physical & emotional issues affecting these individuals & limiting their quality of life are often misdiagnosed and are actually the result of unresolved grief. Unfortunately, although the symptoms may be addressed, the root of the problem is often overlooked and as result, these individuals are left feeling frustrated, depressed & hopeless.
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