Bereavement is something we all experience at sometime in our lives and each of us reacts to it in different ways. Here are some of the things people say:

“I can’t believe it”
You may feel numb with shock and disbelief. You may feel very calm and rather detached, or confused and stunned not knowing what to do next.

“I feel so depressed”
You may find you have lost all interest in living and feel there is no point in going on. You may even question your own sanity and think you are going mad. This is quite normal.

“I feel so angry”
It is quite common to feel anger towards the person who has died leaving you to cope on your own. You may feel guilty about such feelings but it is quite natural.

“It’s not fair”
Death can seem unfair. You may wonder why this had to happen to you, especially when you had made plans for the future together

“It can’t be true”
It may take some time to grasp what has happened. You may deny that someone you love is not coming back or think you have heard or seen the dead person. You may go around looking for the person.

“I feel guilty”
You may feel guilty about things you said or did or that you didn’t say or do. In the case of a disaster, you may feel guilty that you survived and the other person didn’t.

“I’m in such pain”
Grief can cause intense physical pain which can seem overwhelming at times

“I’m exhausted”
As well as feeling mentally drained, you may also feel physically run down, and have difficulty eating and sleeping.

“One minute I’m fine, next minute I can’t stop crying”
Many people experience mood swings which can seem very frightening