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How grief changes your life essay
How grief changes your life essay
How grief changes your life essay
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According to the statistics taken by the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States death rate—as of 2013—is 8.39 deaths per every 1,000 population. (Country Comparison, n.d.) Death is an unavoidable situation that everyone in this world will have to confront sooner or later in life, there is no way of escaping it. Along with death comes grief. Grief is a mix of feelings—sadness, loneliness, anger, depression, lack of motivation—that arouses after one experiences a loss. Grief is a very broad topic and doesn’t necessarily occur after a loss. Not everyone grieves, and if they do they grief in their own way. Grieving isn’t always expressed emotionally, but also physically. Physical symptoms of grief include headaches, nausea, and tiredness. (Grieving: Facing Illness, Death and Other Losses, n.d.) In the following research the four generic stages of grief and the five stages of the Kübler-Ross theory dealing with one’s own mortality.
Each individual grieves in his or her own way. (Huffman, 2012) Although there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are four stages to the normal grieving process: numbness, yearning, despair, and resolution. (Huffman, 2012) Numbness, the first stage, is when people are in denial of death. Yearning is the stage in which many emotions arise after a loss. Despair is the stage when people feel like their life isn’t worth living anymore, but as time passes by they seem to gradually accept their loss, which is also known as resolution, the final stage of grief. (Huffman, 2012) When people grieve they don’t necessarily go through every single stage, in fact they shift back and forth between stages, without a time limit, until an individual can heal properly after a loss. (Stages of Grief, n.d.)Deali...
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...ope with grief and death will allow people to shift attitudes easier and continue living their life, no matter how difficult the situation may be. When dealing with a loss, taking care of oneself is really important because there are people that might even depend on you without even knowing it. More than one person can be affected during grief. For example if the person grieving is a single mom with children, that parent has to be emotionally strong and grief healthy because she has children that are depending on her. Grieving after a loss can be either a long or short process. There is no time limit when grieving which can make it difficult for some people to continue living their normal life. No matter how difficult situations after a loss may get, with the help of the grieving techniques, family, friends, and psychologists, anyone will be able to overcome a loss.
It is common for those experiencing grief to deny the death altogether. Many people do this by avoiding situations and places that remind them of the deceased (Leming & Dickinson, 2016). However, by simply avoiding the topic of death and pain, the mourner only achieves temporary relief while in turn creating more permanent lasting agony (Rich, 2005). In this stage, mourners will begin to feel the full weight of the circumstance. Whether the death of a loved one was sudden or long-term, survivors will feel a full range of emotions, such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, hopelessness, or grief. While many of these emotions can cause serious suffering, it is important for the survivor to feel whatever emotions come up and deal with those feelings, rather than trying to suppress any
In 1969 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a psychiatrist, published the Pioneering book On Death and Dying. The work acquainted the world with the grieving process, called the five stages of grief. Kübler-Ross gathered her research from studying individuals with terminal cancer (Johnson, 2007). The first stage of the grieving process is denial. In this stage the person refuses to believe that their loved one is deceased, a common thought during this period is, “This can’t be happening to me” (Johnson, 2007).The second stage of the grieving process is anger. In this level the person becomes frustrated with their circumstances, a customary complaint is “Why is this happening to me?” (Johnson, 2007). The third stage of the grieving process is bargaining. At this point the individual hopes that they can prevent their grief, this typically involves bartering with a higher power, and an ordinary observance during this time is “I will do anything to have them back” (Johnson, 2007). The fourth and most identifiable stage of grief is depression. This phase is habitually the lengthiest as...
There are five stages that are associated with grief and loss. A medical doctor known as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross gave an in-depth explanation of the five stages in her book, “On
Individually, everyone has their own methods of dealing with situations and emotions regardless of any positive or negative connotation affixed to them. One prime example of this comes with grief. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book “On Death and Dying” suggests that there are five stages of mourning and grief that are universal and, at one point or another, experienced by people from all walks of life. These stages, in no particular order, are as follows: Denial and Isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and finally Acceptance. Each individual person works through these stages in different orders for varying levels of time and intensity, but most if not all are necessary to “move on.” In order for positive change to occur following a loss, one must come to terms with not only the event but also themselves.
The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science Tells Us about Life after Loss, written by George A. Bonanno, illustrates the ways in which different people deal with loss in different ways and even so, most of us are resilient to loss. Death is an inevitable phase every person must face. Throughout one’s life, everybody is destined to confront the pain of death in his or her lifetime. But how do we cope? Is there a “correct” or “normal” way, or length of time we are supposed to use, to recover after a major loss? Bonanno delves into the ways in which we deal with grief and loss that are contrary to what people generally presume. We may be surprised, even hurt, by a loss, but we still manage to pull ourselves back together and move on. One of the recurring arguments made in The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science Tells Us about Life after Loss is that resilience after loss is real, prevailing, and enduring. Bonanno is able to provide much compelling evidence to show the different patterns or trajectories of grief reactions across time shown by bereaved people. He also explains thoroughly how grief is not work by elucidating the ways emotions work to help us deal with demanding environments. Bonanno is successful in allowing the readers to be conscious of what people are grieving after a major loss – they don’t grieve facts, they grieve what they remember. In addition, Bonanno explains how death elicits both terror and curiosity to help his readers conceptualize death. Bonanno essentially articulates that resilience is both genuine and lasting because it is in our human capacity to thrive in the face of adversity.
Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Most of us have come to appreciate ourselves for who we are. While other’s struggle to achieve the perfect body. They strive to be what is depicted in fashion magazines and movies. The never ending obsession to be the perfect size zero. This inevitably can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause someone to have an unhealthy image of themselves and food is the enemy. In a national survey at the Mclean Hospital in Massachusetts it was estimated that over 9 million people suffer with eating disorders. They can struggle with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. A study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that most of these diseases start before the age of twenty. Another growing problem in the United States is obesity. Over 60 million Americans suffer from this disease, this according to the American Obesity Association (gale opposing viewpoints: eating disorders 2010).
Binge eating disorder, also known as BED or compulsive overeating, is a serious disorder, characterized by a recurrent, irresistible urge to overindulge or binge on food, even when you are painfully full. We reveal how and why it becomes a problem, and what you can do about it.
Upon receiving the news that a loved one had died, those left to mourn, called survivors, often find themselves entangled in a complex web of emotions and reactions. The death of a loved one can be a frightening, overwhelming, and painful experience and the physical, psychological, and social effects of loss are articulated through the practice of grief. Grief has been known to be experienced in five stages called the Five Stages of Grief where each phase of the grieving process will go from initial denial to the slow healing of acceptance. However, the devastating aftermath of a loss of a loved one, coupled with the suffering experienced through the five stages of grief can cause the survivor to commit suicide themselves.
When we encounter the death of a loved one, it’s hard to understand and realized that the person is gone. According to Elizabeth Kubler Ross, individuals enter different stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and
"’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, / nor customary suits of solemn black / [ . . . ] but I have that within which passeth show; / these but the trappings and the suits of woe” (Shakespeare 1.2.76-73, 85-86) says Hamlet when confronted about his way of grieving over his father’s recent death. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is a remarkable tale that is centered on the idea of death and grief. While death is a universal occurrence, meaning every person will deal with it, how we grieve after a loss is completely individual. To look at a formula of grief, most turn to the five stages of grief developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a psychiatrist, who studied the topic in her book On Death and Dying. This model consists of denial, anger, sadness, bargaining, and acceptance, although the duration and order of the stages are different for every person. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet the stages of grief are evident in his sadness, anger, and finally acceptance.
An eating disorder is a serious health condition involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. There are a number of accepted eating disorder treatments that depend on the symptoms and severity of the illness. The most effective treatments involve both psychological as well as physical issues with the ultimate goal being a healthy dietary lifestyle. The team approach to treatment involves professionals with experience in eating disorders that usually includes a medical provider, mental health workers, registered dieticians and case managers. These individuals work together in hopes of avoiding a life threatening situation.
The stages of death are known to be a process of mourning that is experienced by individuals from all phases of life. This mourning ensues from an individual’s own death or the death of a loved one. Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross dedicated much of her career to studying this dying process and in turn created the five stages of death. The five stages are; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages may not occur in sequence and sometimes may intersect with one another (Axelrod, 2006). The reality of death many times causes a feeling of denial; this is known as the first stage. In this stage, people have many emotions and have a tendency to hide from reality. This reaction is momentary, but should not be rushed. The patient or loved one needs time to adjust to the awaiting death. This adjustment helps bring them through to the next stage; anger. Anger is a common feeling and many times routes from a feeling of not being ready. This emotion may be directed toward God, strangers, friends, family or even healthcare professionals (Purcell, 2006). In some cases, it can be targeted...
Everyone has or will experience a loss of a loved one sometime in their lives. It is all a part of the cycle of life and death. The ways each person copes with this loss may differ, but according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s novel On Death and Dying, a person experiences several stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and, finally, acceptance. There is no set time for a person to go through each stage because everyone experiences and copes with grief differently. However, everyone goes through the same general feelings of grief and loss. There are also sections in Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” that connect to the process of grieving: “On Pain,” “On Joy and Sorrow,” and “On Talking.” Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” reflects on Kübler-Ross’s model of the different stages of grief and loss.
People cope with the loss of a loved one in many ways. For some, the experience may lead to personal growth, even though it is a difficult and trying time. There is no right way of coping with death. The way a person grieves depends on the personality of that person and the relationship with the person who has died. How a person copes with grief is affected by the person's cultural and religious background, coping skills, mental history, support systems, and the person's social and financial status.
Individuals assuming the bereavement role may experience this role several instances throughout their lifetime, each instance of bereavement being exclusive to the circumstance and varying in its own way (Cutcliffe, 2002). A novice nurse will face the task of bringing the bereaved individuals difficult news and updates about their loved one. It will take an immense amount of courage and patience to allow the individual whether it is the patient, family, or another nurse to grasp the loss (Leming, 2016). The stages of bereavement are thought to have 5 steps, each with its own length of time and intensity that varies from person to person (Cutcliffe, 2002). Initially the bereavement role begins with denial and isolation, which may then lead to anger followed by a form of bargaining that can in many cases result in a dark hole of depression but with the hope that the final stage will be that of acceptance (Cutcliffe, 2002). During these stages, the bereaved individual receives a hall pass for completion of any routine social obligations (Leming, 2016). In addition, it is acceptable for them to become reliant on others for all levels of support, which may include activities of daily living such as cooking meals (Leming, 2016). For the bereaved individual to cope effectively, each step in the stages of bereavement must be is accomplished to reach a level of normal social functioning which is the unspoken goal. While the bereavement role varies in length of time per the individual and the circumstance, there is a practical time allotted, as bereavement should not be long-lived, but rather transitory (Leming,