My father died when I was 7. It was years of therapy and being an angry child, without the maturity to know where to direct my angry energy. If I didn't have an extremely active, attentive mother, I would no doubt be in a gutter somewhere right now.
Looking back, I can distinctly recognize the stages of grief, even from when I was a child. They almost exactly line up with the 7 stages that therapists tell you about. I remember them all, one after the other. I literally remember bargaining with god to bring my father back.
That experience, and recognizing grief for what it is, has made family deaths much "easier". My grandfather just died a few months ago. First death of someone close I have experienced in 24 years. Of course I still grieved, but it was much easier this time. Recognizing the grieving process, and being able to understand that what you are feeling is natural, are extremely important to getting through it.
Grief is something that people just don't understand until they are floored by it one day. And it can last years. I'm glad society is more openly discussing how difficult it is.
Looking back, I can distinctly recognize the stages of grief, even from when I was a child. They almost exactly line up with the 7 stages that therapists tell you about. I remember them all, one after the other. I literally remember bargaining with god to bring my father back.
That experience, and recognizing grief for what it is, has made family deaths much "easier". My grandfather just died a few months ago. First death of someone close I have experienced in 24 years. Of course I still grieved, but it was much easier this time. Recognizing the grieving process, and being able to understand that what you are feeling is natural, are extremely important to getting through it.
Grief is something that people just don't understand until they are floored by it one day. And it can last years. I'm glad society is more openly discussing how difficult it is.