Table of contents:
- What are the five stages of grief?
- Recognize the five stages of grief
- 1. Denial (denial)
- 2. Angry (anger)
- 3. Bid (bargaining)
- 4. Depression (depression)
- 5. Acceptance (acceptance)
Coping with sadness, loss, and grief is never easy. The sadness you feel may even disappear after years. All of this is perfectly natural, because you are trying to deal with one of the five stages of grief.
Each person can experience different stages of grief in different forms and for a period of time. However, the stages of grief generally take a person in the same process, from raging anger to finally reaching acceptance.
What are some of these stages and how do they affect your life?
What are the five stages of grief?
An American-Swiss psychiatrist and writer, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, in 1969 proposed a theory known as The Five Stages of Grief. This theory states that everyone experiences 5 stages in dealing with grief.
Before getting to know these five stages, it should be noted that Kübler-Ross originally introduced this theory not to explain the process of losing a loved one. This theory describes the patient's condition when he finds out he has a severe disease.
According to Kübler-Ross, there are five stages of sadness that patients experience when they find out about the bad news. The stage they experience is denial (denial), angry (anger), bid (bargaining), depression (depression), and acceptance (acceptance).
The same stage actually happened to the patient's family and closest people when the patient died. This theory was eventually used to explain why someone could feel sad for years after losing a loved one.
In fact, dealing with sadness is not that simple. Quoting Heal Grief, the five stages are very subjective and cannot be applied to everyone. Even so, understanding the five of them can help you in dealing with difficult times.
Recognize the five stages of grief
While not completely scientifically proven, the theory that Kübler-Ross introduces can help you deal with sadness. Since each person is a unique person, the stages do not always occur in the same order.
In general, the stages of grief consist of:
1. Denial (denial)
At this stage, a person tends to pretend they don't know or don't want to admit that something has happened. For example, a patient diagnosed with a serious illness might say, "The results must be wrong, I can't possibly have this disease."
Denial is actually useful for reducing lingering negative emotions so that you can digest them slowly. Over time, this stage of sadness will diminish and you will begin to feel emotions that you previously denied.
2. Angry (anger)
Denial is your brain's attempt to protect yourself, while anger is the stage in which you vent any emotions that arise. At this stage, you may be taking your anger out on other people or even inanimate objects.
When you break up with your boyfriend, you might say bad things like, “I hate him! He will regret this! " You know these words are not good, but it will take you some time to think logically again and get your emotions under control.
3. Bid (bargaining)
This is the grief stage where you want to regain control of your life. You will begin to wonder and wish. A religious person may promise to worship more often if his illness is cured.
When the person closest to you dies, you might say, "If only I had the chance to call him," and so on. As painful as it may be, the bargaining stage helps you delay the sadness, pain, and confusion that can arise.
4. Depression (depression)
During the first few stages, it's natural to work against negative emotions. However, these emotions will still emerge in the end. You can feel hopeless and keep saying, "What would I be without him?" or "I don't know where else to go."
Depression is a very difficult stage because all the negative things seem to accumulate here, but it can also help you deal with sadness in a healthy way. If you have trouble, try asking a psychologist for help.
5. Acceptance (acceptance)
Source: Girl Talk HQ
Acceptance does not mean happy or you have been move on fully. At this stage, you accept that something bad has happened and understand what it means for life. You may feel different because you have gone through major life changes.
After losing a job, someone may say, "Then I'll find another job or build a business." While not easy, it just means that you believe there are many better days out there.
The theory of the five stages of grief does not apply to everyone. This theory is also too simple to describe the complex human personality. However, you can pick a variety of good things in it to deal with sadness.
Take each stage slowly and take short breaks when they all make you feel tired. Eventually, you will develop into a much tougher person because you have survived the tough times.
