When someone close to you dies, you may be overwhelmed with feelings of anger, hurt, sadness, and uncertainty. It is a painful and confusing time. The problem of what to say and how to talk about your feelings is one of the most difficult that you can face. You may be afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing.
When someone you care about dies, you may have lots of different feelings, many at the same time, including surprise, disbelief, anger, guilt, depression, and sadness. Each person reacts to death in his or her own way. Some cry, some get angry, some get quiet and go off by themselves and some act like nothing happened. How you grieve is a personal thing and does not measure how much you cared about the person, only how you handle or express your feelings.
Your feelings will go back and forth. Sometimes things around you like a smell, a song, a holiday, will trigger some feelings and memories.
It is important to talk about your feelings with family or a friend or someone you feel will listen to you. Sometimes it is hard to talk with someone about how you feel. By keeping these feelings inside and not expressing them, you could experience headaches, loss of appetite, mood swings, fear, loneliness, depression, and anger.
If you know someone who has lost a loved one, you may want to do something for the family and friends that the person left behind. The following are some suggestions of things that you can do.
Remember that there are people out there who can help you as you struggle with the death of someone. Schools and religious organizations may have support groups to help you deal with the death of someone. Call the following for a list of support groups.
The following organizations will provide information and/or assistance (click on the agency's name for more information):