How to Cope with the 
Complications of Grief

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Grief is a natural emotion and it is a process that people work through when they lose a person or a pet who they love. Grief can also come with something like losing a job or something else with significant meaning. Most people are able to work through their grief and develop solid coping skills that allow them to get back on track with their life. However, for some people, grief can come with complications and it is important to put coping skills at the forefront to ensure that these complications are not able to take a hold over your life.

Exploring the Potential Complications of Grief

When you are in a state of grief, not having the right coping skills puts you at risk for a number of potentially serious complications that can be long-lasting. If you can identify these, you can work toward reducing the chances of you experiencing them because you can work to prepare in advance. Keep these in mind and know that if grief occurs, you can get through it and work to minimize the long-term effects. The following are potential complications of grief that everyone should know about:

·         Depression

·         Suicidal thoughts

·         Significant sleeping problems

·         Post-traumatic stress disorder

·         Using nicotine, alcohol or other drugs

·         Anxiety

·         Problems with completing your daily tasks

·         Relationship troubles

·         Problems at the workplace or in school

·         Increased risk of developing a physical illness, such as cancer, heart disease or similar chronic diseases

Stages of Grief and the Timeline

It is important to know that there is no timeline for grief and there is no typical response. People grieve in their own ways and for amounts of time that are individualized. However, those who are grieving do experience all five stages of the process. The order of the stages can vary among people and some go in order while others experience the grief stages in a varied order. There are also people who do not experience all five of the stages. The following are the stages of grief that people go through:

·         Denial

·         Bargaining

·         Acceptance

·         Anger

·         Depression

It is important to not rush yourself through any of the stages of grieving. You need to allow yourself time to heal from your loss.

Coping Techniques for Coping with Grief and Grief Complications

There are many things you can do to help yourself get through the grieving process. You should use as many of the techniques you need to get through your grief. The first part is finding support so that you have people to turn to when you need to vent sadness, anger and other emotions. The following are common sources of support that aid in the grieving process:

·         Talk to family and friends who you trust

·         Look at the different support groups in your area that are associated with grief

·         If you are religious, turn to your faith and fellow church members for support

·         Talk to a grief counselor or a therapist

When you are grieving, it is easy to allow your grief to consume you, but it is important that you do not do this. You have to continue to take care of yourself and attend to your individual daily needs. You should still be mindful of diet and exercise, taking necessary medications and expressing your feelings and emotions as they come. Never conceal what you are going through and never try to minimize it. If you try to push your grief aside, the situation will only get worse. At the same time, you cannot put all focus on grief.

The fine balance is not easy to strike, but if you have the right level of support and you are mindful of how you are doing overall, you can get through your grief. Remember that your grief is yours, but you can share the burden with others.

Grief is something that everyone will experience in life so it is never the wrong time to start preparing for the coping process. You want to have the skills necessary when something happens so that you are not caught off guard. Being prepared with your coping skills also helps to reduce the risk of experiencing any of the complications of grief, or it may minimize the effects of these complications. Remember that you can also use your grief coping skills to help others, helping to make a sad or tragic situation better for everyone who is involved.

References:

http://www.hospicenet.org/html/grief_guide.html