Over the years, many psychiatrists have presented various theoretical explanations of the grief associated with losing a loved one and planning funeral homes Morton Grove, IL. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a Swiss psychiatrist, while working with terminally ill patients in developed the “The Five Stages of Grief” theory in 1969.

It is one of the most commonly accepted models for explaining how people navigate through the grief journey after losing an important person in life. The theory outlined five different stages an average person goes through while navigating through grief, which are:

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargain
• Depression
• Acceptance

Key Takeaways from Five Stages of Grief Model

Remember the below points:

• Not every person goes through all five stages in the same order. An individual may skip one, two, or more stages.
• A person may experience find himself alternating between stages. That is, he may move back to anger after depression or bargain and keep moving back and forth for some time before the final stage.
• The length of each phase varies significantly from person to person.

Let us discuss these stages in detail.

Denial

That’s the first response to hearing the news of a loss of a loved one., Consider it as a feeling of numbness or shock when you’re unable to process the reality that the loved one has left this mortal world.

The feelings of denial are hardest when the individual dies unexpectedly. During this stage, the bereaved tend to isolate themselves from other people to help process the emotions.

Anger

Anger is followed by the denial period and the person’s mind starts accepting the changed reality. He or she may get angry at the doctors, himself, or even a higher power for taking away the loved one. The expressions “why me?” and ‘why he or she left me so early?” are common during this phase.

Just like denial, this phase doesn’t last long as you start understanding your feelings.

Bargain

The grieving person wants things like they were before and tries to cling to the threads of hope – no matter how weak and thin the fabric may be. This stage is filled with “ifs” and “buts” as you try to make a deal with higher powers.

Navigating through the bargaining phase is an important step in dealing with the aftermath of the loss.

Depression

Probably the most critical and painful phase in which the individual is overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and anxiety. Even the routine tasks seem insurmountable and the person feels dull and purposeless.

Psychologists exhort the grieving individuals to adopt a healthy routine and practice self-care to go through this phase faster. Remaining stuck in depression for an extended period can plunge you into complicated grief and you may have to reach out for professional help.

Acceptance

Finally, your mind and soul accept the changed reality and you begin to go back to the old routine. You may never stop missing the deceased but you’re ready to move on and feelings of depression and sadness become less intense. This step often comes long after you’re done with funeral homes Morton Grove, IL.