Essay Sample on Grieving Death: Moving On After Loss of a Loved One

Introduction

Death is devastating. Losing a family member or a friend could live with one for a long time. The ruthlessness of death and its cruelty does not hit one well until someone as close as a best friend breathes the last. It is a whirlwind of emotions and endless ‘what ifs’ that have no one to answer. One would tend to think that death by natural causes is easy to sink in, but one resulting from suicide is quite challenging to decipher. However, at some point, life has to move on, and the grief has to stop. One has to replace all the pain with a renewed energy and hope for the future. Reflections about death and grief are a real lesson about life, and that death can make the most revered memories a painful page of one’s life; anyone can learn from the death of someone close.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Seven Stages

Any grieving person goes through a process of seven stages that lead to healing and acceptance. At first, it is shock and denial. When I lost my friend to suicide, I could not believe it had happened. I always wanted to imagine that my friend would come back at some point. After all the denial, one sets into a stage of pain, anger, and guilt. I believed that I should have been there for my friend and saved that life. It felt like I never did enough to prevent my friend from committing suicide.

The stage of guilt and anger is succeeded by bargaining. This is where one wants their loved one to come back at the exchange of any price that could be mentioned. A person is ready to sacrifice anything to have their loved one again. When that return does not come by, the next stage is depression. The stress is too much to bear. There are so many tears and low moments. Finally, one accepts fate and let’s go of whatever hope they were holding unto. At this stage, one has accepted the new normal and is ready to carry one with life. Only the beautiful moments are left in the book of memory.

Grieving requires help from all quarters. When one is in grief, the first step of assistance comes from oneself. Accepting the situation becomes the most essential thing in the immediate aftermath. It is not easy to come into terms with the loss, but how soon one accepts the challenge, the better it is for the recovery. The signs of grief are evident and should be used as the first sign that one is grieving. The denial can blind one from the reality of the grief they are undergoing. Sadness, fear, shock, guilt, and anger should be seen as the primary pointers to the presence of grief. They should not be ignored at all. When one spots the said signs, it is time to seek help.

Different Quarters

There are different quarters from where to seek help. Strong families create a magnificent support system for a grieving individual. They bring reassurance and hope at a time where one is lost and confused. On that account, one should seek help from the closest of family members. The reassurance that one is not at fault for the demise of their loved one plays a significant role. The promise that life will go on well in the absence of the departed soul brings substantial progress. Other than the family, one can engage a grief counselor. Professional psychotherapists can do a great job in helping a person cope up with a loss. Having such a person on board eases the recovery journey in a great way. They help fast track the stages of grieving to acceptance and hope.

Support groups and religious teaching also come in handy during sad times. It may be difficult to open up to people who are always close and available. However, joining a support group may help change that situation. Within support groups, people meet others with more devastating stories and who are coping quite well with their loss. This approach helps build confidence and strength in dealing with the stressfulness of the loss. Religious traditions always have teachings on how to deal with the pain of such a loss. They offer hope and promise of the future, and can really get one out of a devastating situation. Therefore, attachment to a religious group could also help fast track the process; through the teachings and a support system among believers.

External Support

All the external support must be complemented by self-care and determination to recover in due course. As difficult as it may be, the grieving individual must face their feelings and work towards overcoming them. One of the most significant fuels to grief is idleness. Therefore, one has to remain engaged and active. As an individual, one has to ensure that their hobbies and interests are not abandoned. These hobbies act as great therapy to overcome grief. If one can go jogging, go swimming, or enjoy some movies, the process of full emotional recovery against the grief becomes easier. One has to map out their path to acceptance. There could be so much help coming from outside, but until the heart accepts the loss and learns to deal with it, such is the time that grief starts to subside.

Conclusion

Some places and things become reminders of the departed soul, and they no longer taste or feel the same again. Therefore, one has to learn to cope with the emotional twists that come along with loss. It accelerates from just a mental torment to a physical show of defeat and pain. Grief is majorly presumed to be an emotional issue, but it has a great deal of a physical impact. It is common for a mourning person to lose weight, become sickly, and generally appear weak. Due to immersion in the somber mood, one does not realize the physical toll that the grief is taking on their body. In the end, the individual becomes too withdrawn from the normal of life. The best way to cope with grief is to speed up the process of acceptance. It does not come easy, but one should try very hard not to lose too much time in the phase of pain and tears.