People are often quite shocked in the weeks following the death of a loved one. For some, it can lead, at least for a time, to all consuming grief and sadness.
Coping with grief and loss often requires a substantial emotional and physical effort and can sometimes be overwhelming.
How someone responds to a death will be due in part, to the relationship they had with the person who died. It may have been a loving one or there may have been underlying tension. How a person feels can be influenced by how they shared the last months and days with the person who died. How and under what circumstances the person died may be a focus.
Support from family and friends is important when someone has died. Tiredness and grief can make it difficult to remember some things. Sometimes talking about the final days can be helpful to clarify what happened. It may be helpful in working through the experience.
After someone has died, some people may avoid talking about them for fear of causing distress. Sometimes taking the initiative and talking about a loved one will let family and friends know that it is okay.
Family and friends will slowly return to their usual occupations. They may not want to continue to talk about what happened. This can be true of the health professionals who have been involved, sometimes for months. This can make those who are grieving feel that the outside world is a busy, cold and uncaring place. They can feel that they have been abandoned. Some of these feelings may continue for a while but will slowly resolve.
Resources
Related CareSearch pages
Children and grief and loss
Loss of a child
Remembering and recovering
Grief and loss resources
Family communication
This page was created on 26 May 2009 and is due for review in May 2011