What is bereavement?

Coping with loss is also known as mourning. When you lose a loved one, time stands still for a while. But gradually the grief and loss will have to find a place in your life. The transition from your old life with your loved one to a new life without him or her is called mourning. Mourning is different for everyone.

Symptoms of mourning
Mourning can be accompanied by various symptoms and complaints. This is different for everyone. Because we all mourn in our own way. So, don't compare yourself with anyone else. Nothing is right or wrong when it comes to mourning. Common symptoms of mourning are:
• Loneliness

• Headaches

• Sadness

• Reduced appetite

• Fatigue

• Concentration problems

How long does mourning last?
Mourning takes time. And you have to take that time. Often, people around you will expect the mourning period to be over after six months. But this is not the case for everyone. The mourning process differs from person to person and generally lasts several years, during which you go through grief processing stages, switching back and forth between loss and recovery efforts. Only when grief has found its place, and you can remember the person without mourning, can you say you have accepted the death of a loved one.

5 stages of mourning

1. Denial
A feeling of numbness is common in the first few days after a death. Some people initially carry on as if nothing has happened. Even if we know in our heads that someone important to us has died, it can be hard to believe that they are not coming back. It is also very common to feel the presence of someone who has died, to hear their voice or even to see them.

2. Anger
Anger is a completely natural emotion, and not unusual after someone dies. Death can seem cruel and unfair, especially if you feel the person died before their time or if you had plans for the future together. It is also common to be angry at the person who died, or angry at ourselves for the things we did or did not do or say before their death.

3. Negotiation
When we are in pain, it is sometimes hard to accept that there is nothing we can do to change things. Negotiation is when we start making deals with ourselves, or perhaps with God or Allah if we are religious. We want to believe that we will feel better if we act in a certain way. It is also common to keep going over the past and asking a lot of 'what if' questions, wishing we could go back and change things in the hope that they might have turned out differently.

4. Sadness and depression
Sadness and longing are what we think of most often when we think of mourning. This pain can be very intense and come in waves over many months or years. Life can feel as though it no longer has any meaning, which can be frightening.

5. Acceptance
Grief comes in waves and it can feel like nothing will ever be right again. But gradually, most people find that the pain subsides and it is possible to accept what has happened. We may never get over the death of a loved one, but we can learn to live again while keeping the memories of those we have lost close to us.