Grief:

• 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. Most people will feel shock 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

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 find that:

• grief hoes 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 easy for others to help.
• grief never really goes away, but lessens over time
• grief helps the person to deal with the death. If they don't it may come up later as a mental or physical illness.