There are events so powerful that they cannot be ignored: they begin to influence people, their thoughts, and moods. On one hand, we experience profound grief when the event is very close. On the other hand, it can be painful even if it doesn’t directly concern us. When tragedies occur in the world, we become involved in them with our personal stories. These tragedies touch the parts of us that we haven’t fully lived.
It’s important to know that people can react differently to loss – there is no protocol or specific script. Each person expresses condolences in their own way.
Grieving cannot be experienced all at once or skipped – it is not something that can be lived through in a day. The degree of grief is equivalent to the value of what we have lost. Some people may need years, while others may process the loss more quickly.
There are five stages of grief:
- Denial: The person cannot believe what has happened. The more unexpected the loss, the greater the denial.
- Anger: Attempting to find someone to blame, the person becomes angry and rebels against the impossibility of changing anything.
- Bargaining: Trying to make a deal with the world and reality to change the inevitability of the loss. Bargaining is also referred to as the negotiation stage.
- Depression: The body’s reaction to the loss of meaning and feelings that were present while the person was alive.
- Acceptance: The final experience of loss. The feeling that life can continue after the tragedy. It’s the opportunity to find new meaning – what remains after losing something ‘important.’
These stages of grief should be perceived as five fragments or strategies a person uses while grieving. They can flow from one to another, not necessarily sequentially. Certain stages may be very prolonged, while others may be short. Regardless of how deep a person’s suffering is, slowly but surely, they return to normal life. Initially, they may take one step forward and two steps back, but gradually, they begin to realize what has happened and tap into hidden ‘reserves of strength.’ The person will be amazed to find that life has not stopped.
War takes away people close to us, causing an immense number of losses. Each day, more and more people who have lost their loved ones on the battlefield turn to our psychologists at Molfa Hub for support. However, many individuals experience the grief of loss alone due to lack of knowledge, shame, fear of sharing, or asking for support.
As part of the ‘Emergency EU Support to Civil Society’ project implemented by ISAR Unity with the financial support of the European Union, the Association of Resource Psychology and Psychotherapy provides free professional psychological assistance and support.
Call, do not stay alone.”