You may hear that there are stages of grief, which are simply different ways of feeling as you work towards healing after the loss of a loved one. These stages, long used by doctors and others, are only a very basic framework. It is quite common to go from one stage to the next and then back again. The way you work through them is very much up to you. The key, though, is that moving through them can give you some sense of improvement in your quality of life and in the process of healing.

Denial: The first stage, and often the hardest to deal with is denial. You may not feel like this could happen to you. This can’t be true.

Anger: Why is this happening? You may feel anger about the situation, what you are left with, and what you have to deal with now. You may even seek out people to blame during this stage.

Bargaining: Many people make this stage at a desperate point. What if I make a change in my life? Can this not happen to me?

Depression: You feel like giving up, and you don’t care about anything. You are hurting and no one can understand that pain, you believe.

Acceptance: You reach a point where you’ve realized it’s happened, it hurts, it’s horrible, but you will find a way through it. You’re accepting what has happened.

Going through the stages of grief takes time and there is no right or wrong way to do it. Sometimes, documenting these stages in an online memorial or journal can help you. In other cases, you may want privacy to think. There is no reason to push yourself and no way to do so. However, knowing that everyone goes through these stages and faces these emotions can help you. You may feel more empowered knowing that you are doing what is expected, grieving.