What are Normal Grief Reactions?
Definition
Normal feelings, behaviors and reactions to a loss Normal grief reactions to a loss can be physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral
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Normal Grief Reactions
Physical
- hollowness in stomach
- tightness in chest
- heart palpitations
- sensitivity to noise
- breathlessness
- weakness
- tension
- lack of energy
- dry mouth
- gastrointestinal disturbances
- loss of libido
- increase in appetite, loss of appetite
- weight gain or loss
- exhaustion
- tight throat
- vulnerable to illness
- restlessness
- headaches
- dizziness
- muscle aches
- sexual impotency
- insomnia
- tremors, shakes
Emotional
- numbness
- relief
- emancipation
- sadness
- yearning
- anxiety
- fear
- anger
- guilt and self- reproach
- shame
- loneliness
- helplessness
- hopelessness
- abandonment
- loss of control
- emptiness
- despair
- ambivalence
- loss of ability for pleasure
- shock
Cognitive
- disbelief state of depersonalization
- confusion
- inability to concentrate
- idealization of the deceased
- preoccupation with thoughts or image of the deceased
- dreams of the deceased
- sense of presence of deceased
- fleeting, tactile, olfactory, visual and auditory hallucinatory experiences
- search for meaning in life and death
Behavioral
- impaired work performance
- crying
- withdrawal
- avoiding reminders of the deceased
- seeking or carrying reminders of the deceased
- over-reactivity
- changed relationships
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