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Coping with Your Loss |
Pastoral Care |
Patient Relations |
Social Services |
Caring Staff
Because grief can be so painful and seem overwhelming, you may wonder if your grieving
experience is normal. When a death takes place in your life, you may experience a wide range
of emotional characteristics. Many people report feeling an initial stage of numbness after
first learning of a death of a loved one, but there is no real order to the grieving process. After
suffering the loss of a loved one, you may experience the following:
- Depression, sadness or feeling isolated and separated from others
- Feeling anger towards God or others whose lives seem happier than yours
- Sudden changes in mood, crying at unexpected times
- A yearning for life as it used to be, constantly rekindling the past
- Feeling apathetic with loss of interest in usual activities
- An upsurge of emotional distress at special occasions (e.g., anniversary dates and birthdays)
- Loss of or increased appetite, upset stomach or digestive problems, weight loss or gain
- Tightness in the throat, insomnia, muscle weakness, headaches and/or dizziness
If these symptoms persist, please consult with your physician.
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep; vivid dreams of your loved one or an absence of dreaming
- Replaying memories of the last days, weeks, hours; sensing the presence of your loved one
sometimes expecting him or her to return
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions; starting something then forgetting about it
- A constant urge to fill the days with activities and/or busy work
- Decreased desire to socialize, lowered self-esteem
- Lowered or no interest in sexual activity
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