Section 11: Bereavement
HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE DIES?
Because grief can be
so painful and overwhelming, it frightens us. Many people worry if they are
grieving in the "right" way and wonder if the feelings they have are normal.
Grieving is a normal and natural process. It is important to let yourself
grieve in your own way. Most people who suffer a loss experience one or more
of the following:
· Tightness in
the throat or heaviness in the chest.
· An empty feeling
in the stomach and a loss of appetite.
· Feeling guilty
at times and angry at others.
· Feelings of
restlessness and difficulty concentrating.
· Feeling as
though the loss was not real and did not actually occur.
· Sensations
of your patient's presence, like hearing his voice, seeing her face, or expecting
him to walk through the door.
· Forgetting
to finish what you started.
· Difficulty
sleeping, frequent dreams of your patient.
· Assuming mannerisms
or traits of your patient.
· Experiencing
an intense preoccupation with the life of your patient.
· Feelings
of guilt and anger regarding your relationship with your patient.
· Feeling anger
at your patient for dying.
· Feeling a need
to take care of others around you by politely not talking about your loss.
· A need to tell
and retell and remember things about your patient and the experience
of their death.
· Frequent mood
changes over the slightest things.
· Crying at unexpected
times.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
· Grieving is painful, yet it is normal process. There is no "right" way to
do it. Do what feels right and natural to you.
· Learn the symptoms of grief and know that they will lessen in degree with
time.
SECTION
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