Grief:

• is caused by a major life change
• is a normal reaction to a death or loss in a person's life
• can be hard, stressful and tiring, but it is not an illness
• helps us to let go of the past and adjust to a new life without the person who died

How does grief affect people?
All people grieve differently. Some people will feel shocked and numb in the beginning. Strange and painful thoughts and feelings may follow:

• thoughts of confusion, disbelief, and wondering if this is just a dream
• feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, loneliness, bitterness, fear, edginess, nervousness, short tempered, and lack of confidence

All of these feelings are natural.

People who are grieving may:

• cry a lot
• blame others
• have upset stomachs and headaches
• have problems sleeping, resting, eating or doing small tasks
• have no energy
• feel they have the same problems as the person who has died

People who are grieving may find that:

• grief goes on much longer than they imagined
• there are no quick fixes or ways to grieve
• each person has to work through his or her grief and in his or her own way. It is not always easy for others to help.
• grief never really goes away, but lessens over time
• grief helps the person to deal with the death. If it is not dealt with it may get deeper and show up later as a mental or physical illness.