Sometimes stages are mentioned in connection with grief, in particular the five stages of grief according to Dr. Kübler-Ross. The stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. However these stages were originally meant to describe the emotions terminally ill people might go through. Applying them to grief after the loss of a loved one isn’t all that helpful.
Grief is messy and unpredictable. There are so many emotions and everyone experiences grief differently. It has been a crazy, turbulent roller coaster ride of emotions for me, especially in the first couple of years after my husband’s death. Everything from numbness, guilt, sadness, anger, depression, self-pity, self-loathing and confusion to calmness and even (semi-)happiness. And any one of them can show up at any time—without warning.
So I hold on tight, brace myself for the rough stretches, and savor the calmness in between.