Have you ever encountered or been part of a family grieving? It can be difficult to grieve, and it’s also challenging to support someone grieving. While you can turn to words to comfort a grieving friend or family member, the best way to support someone dealing with grief is to just be there for them. And if you feel like someone grieving is finding it difficult to function, you may suggest turning to professional help.
If you’re looking for professional help to process family grieving in Massachusetts, contact Rockland Recovery today. Call 855.732.4842 or reach out to our team online for more information about our sober living homes.
What Does Grieving Mean?
Grief is the natural response to loss, particularly loss in the form of death. However, grief can also be felt when someone loses something like a dream job, a potential future with someone, or even a physical object.
Most experts believe that people go through five distinct stages of grief after the loss of a loved one, which are:
- Denial – As the reality of the loss is processed, humans are also surviving severe emotional pain. Denial attempts to slow this process down and prevents a person from feeling overwhelmed by emotions. Denial is not simply an attempt to pretend that the loss does not exist. It’s also the key to absorbing and understanding the loss.
- Anger – It’s typical to experience anger after losing a loved one. A grieving person is trying to adjust to a new reality while dealing with extreme emotional discomfort. There is so much to process, and anger may feel like a safe emotional outlet. It tends to be more socially acceptable than admitting fear. Anger allows a person to express emotion without worrying about being rejected or judged.
- Bargaining – When grieving, it isn’t unusual to feel so desperate that a person is willing to do almost anything to minimize the pain. When bargaining begins, a grieving person often directs their requests to a higher power.
- Depression – This is the stage when a grieving person’s imagination calms down. They slowly engage with and accept the reality of their present situation. During this stage, a grieving person tends to pull inward and feel very sad.
- Acceptance – This is the last stage. It’s important to clarify that acceptance doesn’t mean that a grieving person no longer feels the pain of loss. It just means that they’re no longer resisting the reality of the situation.
What Is the Family Grieving Process Like?
When a whole family grieves a loss, you’ll notice that grieving means different things for each family member.
Family grieving may include:
- Angry outbursts
- Bouts of depression
- Crying
- Shutting down
- Insomnia
Some family members will want to discuss the loss, while others may withdraw into silence. Some will want to surround themselves with people, while others need more time alone. Some may find themselves in a state of denial, while others move quickly toward acceptance. The various iterations of grief experienced by family members can lead to feelings of frustration and overwhelm.
To navigate family grief, especially if you are all part of the same household, you can:
- Respect different forms of grief
- Make room for feelings
- Set boundaries
- Seek outside help
Learn More About Rockland Recovery’s Approach to Family Grieving
Grief can be a challenging emotion for people to endure. Often, the best course of action is to reach out for help from an experienced team of professionals. If you’re searching for professional help to process family grieving in Massachusetts, contact Rockland Recovery today. Learn more about how you can also help with grieving quotes or words to comfort a grieving friend by calling 855.732.4842 or reaching out to our team online.
