Either way, it is very important to remember that these stages, and the descriptions of them, are not by any means the only way that someone coping with grief will experience the effects that come after a traumatic event.
DEPRESSION
The depression phase is all about extremes. It feels like the sun has stopped shining, and that your life has come to an end. The pain and agony are so extreme that you can't remember the last time you smiled. Your bad habits become amplified: You drink to stay drunk, you eat all the time, you smoke non stop.
Men and women typically handle the depression phase differently.Men often internalize depression and mask it as anger. They also often attempt to displace it by burying themselves in their work.
Depression in women tends to be more obvious, as they don't feel the need to internalize and save face as much as men do. Even the most confident and secure women can become insecure and feel hopeless.
The key to depression is recognizing it. Once you take that first step, you can begin the recovery phase. It never, EVER, is a bad idea to ask for help, from your doctor, a friend, or anyone.
Men and women typically handle the depression phase differently.Men often internalize depression and mask it as anger. They also often attempt to displace it by burying themselves in their work.
Depression in women tends to be more obvious, as they don't feel the need to internalize and save face as much as men do. Even the most confident and secure women can become insecure and feel hopeless.
The key to depression is recognizing it. Once you take that first step, you can begin the recovery phase. It never, EVER, is a bad idea to ask for help, from your doctor, a friend, or anyone.
BARGAINING
Traditionally the bargaining stage for people facing
death can involve attempting to bargain with their higher power ("Take me instead" or "If you make this stop I'll...". People facing less serious trauma can bargain or seek to negotiate a
compromise. For example "Can we still be friends?.." when facing a break-up.
Bargaining rarely provides a sustainable solution, especially if it's a matter
of life or death.
In newer takes on the grief process, bargaining has been combined with dialogue and noted after the depression phase. The characteristics of this view show bargaining as being a way out of depression, such as reaching out to others, a desire to tell one's story, and a struggle to find understanding in what has happened.
Remember, dealing with grief is a very real and very difficult process. Grieving is a very natural thing, but takes different courses in each person that it affects. The stages of dealing with grief may be different for each person, but as a whole they are commonly experienced in some way, shape, or form by people who experience a traumatic event in their life.
In newer takes on the grief process, bargaining has been combined with dialogue and noted after the depression phase. The characteristics of this view show bargaining as being a way out of depression, such as reaching out to others, a desire to tell one's story, and a struggle to find understanding in what has happened.
Remember, dealing with grief is a very real and very difficult process. Grieving is a very natural thing, but takes different courses in each person that it affects. The stages of dealing with grief may be different for each person, but as a whole they are commonly experienced in some way, shape, or form by people who experience a traumatic event in their life.
