Navigating the Stages of Grief: Moving Forward After Loss

1. Navigating The Stages of Grief: Are you dealing with the loss of a loved one? And are looking for ways to help you cope with the loss and navigate the stage. Grief, me too high. I'm Rafi typeof, founder of yolk wellness. And I'm a dad who recently lost my little son Athlon. If you're looking to become a student of this course, I can only imagine how your life would have been changed recently to, I'm sorry for your loss. In this class, we're going to learn about each of the stages of grief and how they play an important role in healing through a combination of my own personal journey and things I've learned from over 15 years as a nurse in public health expert, will also discuss tools and strategies to cope with loss in a healthy way. Our class project, we'll be creating a self-care plan for coping with grief. You will identify, create, and share your self-care plan with a trusted friend to help keep you accountable. This class is suitable for anyone who's currently grieving. This class is great for anyone who wants a safe space to reflect on their loss and work towards continuing to live your life. Afterwards. I'm glad you're here. It shows you're willing to do really hard work in hopes to provide some alien. Let's get started. 2. Intro & Welcome: Welcome to the course. Thank you for signing up. It's my sincere wish and hope and dream that this course helps. Recently I lost my son as then the hole that it has left has been tremendous. This course is my attempt to help you deal with your loss and in some ways helped me deal with mine too. In this introduction, we're going to talk about grief. We're going to talk about what this course entails. We're going to talk about the stages of grief. Grief is a natural response to loss. It's complex and deeply personal experience that can affect us in many ways. When we experienced a significant loss, such as the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or even the loss of a job. It can be overwhelming and leave us confused, isolated, unsure of how to move forward. One way to understand and make sense of the grief process is by considering the stages of grief. These stages were first proposed by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler Ross in her 1969 book on death and dying. Initially, these stages were helping, were designed and developed to help people understand, cope with the grief that comes with terminal illness and death. But since then they've been applied to a wide range of losses in can be a helpful framework for understanding grief more generally, the seven stages that we'll talk about are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, finding meaning moving forward. It's important to note that these stages are not linear, meaning you won't go 1234567 through this process. Some people won't experience all of them. Some people want to experience them in the same order. Some people skip certain stages or move back and forth between stages. Today alone, I could say I've touched all seven stages. These stages also aren't a progression from worst to better. Grief is so individual and everyone will cope with this loss in their own way. The purpose of describing these stages is not to prescribe like a right way to grieve, but just to give you a way to think about understanding what you're feeling. The different emotions, the different behaviors, and how different people come to terms with their loss. By understanding, recognizing these stages, we can better understand how to support ourselves and how to help other people help us. While we agree. Also, it's not uncommon for people to experience feelings of guilt or shame or regret as they cope with loss, or feel a sense of disconnection or isolation from others. These feelings don't necessarily fit into one of the seven stages, but these emotions and behaviors are all normal. They're all part of the grieving process. As you journey through the grieving process, it is important to take care of yourself and to seek support when you need it. This can include talking with a therapist or counselor, joining a support group, or reaching out to trusted family and friends can also be helpful to engage in activities that bring you comfort and peace, such as exercising, spending time in nature or practicing mindfulness. Remember that this process is a journey and it's important to be patient with yourself and allow yourself the time and space to work through your emotions. By understanding and acknowledging these stages of grief, you can understand and support yourself as you navigate this challenging and ultimately transformative experience. 3. Denial: The first stage of grief is denial. Denial is a natural defense mechanism that helps us cope with the initial shock and disbelief that often accompany loss. When we're in denial, we may try to ignore or minimize the reality of the situation. Or we might try to convince ourselves that the loss of note happened. But that it's not as bad as it seems. Denial shows up in many ways. Some people try to deny the loss by refusing to accept facts or by avoiding thoughts are discussions about the loss. Others may try to deny their feelings by refusing to express their emotions. Some people may even try to deny their grief by distracting themselves with activities or by trying to move on to quickly. While did not can be helpful coping mechanism in the short term, it is important to eventually acknowledge and accept the reality of loss. Now can prevent us from processing and working through our grief. And it can leave us feeling duck and unable to move forward. Be patient with yourself, give yourself the time and space to come to terms with the loss. It's also important to recognize this is normal, denial is normal. It's a natural part of the grieving process. In my own personal experience, I remember in the last day or so when we knew that as land was not going to make it, I entered into the stage quite a lot as if by not accepting what was happening, I might be able to change it. And that was my strongest point in the States. But there were times even today or last week or last month where I forget and I think that's part of me denying that it happened and it's almost that moment of recognition and remembering that this event happened and this is a part of your life. And it is in those moments where I tried to be as kind to myself as possible. 4. Anger: The second stage of grief is anger. Anger is a natural response to loss can be a way for us to cope with feelings of helplessness. Powerlessness that often accompany grief. When we're angry, you might feel a sense of outrage or resentment towards the person or situation that has caused our loss. Anchor shields up so many different ways. Some people express it through verbal outbursts or physical aggression, while other people bottle it up for it to explode years later. Some people may direct their anger towards themselves, while others directed at others. It is important to recognize that anger is a normal and natural part of the grieving process, and it is okay to feel angry after experiencing a loss. However, it's on us to find healthy ways to express them. Cope with the anchor. One way to cope with anchors, to talk with others about your feeling. Sharing your thoughts and feelings with a trusted friend or family member. Therapist or a counselor can help you process your emotions and find healthy ways to express your anger. It can also be helpful to engage in activities that allow you to release ranked pretty healthy weight, such as exercise, writing or art. It's also important to recognize your anger might be directed towards someone or something that's not directly related to your loss. Feel angry with a friend or family member who is not involved in any way or just angry at the world in general. It can be helpful to try to understand the reasons behind your anger. What is it about the loss that's causing you to feel angry? You're angry because you feel like you've been wronged? Or are you feeling angry because you're struggling to come to terms with the loss. Understanding those reasons behind your anchor can help you better cope with these feelings and find healthy ways to express your anger. It's also important to recognize that anger is not the only emotion you might be feeling. You might also feel sadness, guilt, and fear in addition to the anger. All of these emotions still need to come out at some point. It is important to find healthy ways to cope with them. When in the month or so after losing as Lynn? I well, I remember it very vividly. It must have been three days ago and I was outside. My local coffee shop in AI, guy had left his truck, turned on and it was spitting out exhaust and I'm sitting there having a coffee. And I was so angry at this man. And I always needed to be held back from going in extremely aggressive conversation with him. I still remember because I see him now all the time. How angry I was and how much it had really nothing to do with him, but it was just about my anger and feeling like I was I'd been wronged in the world and wanting to take it out. So I mean, I knew I remember at the time it didn't matter if I won and lost. I mean, this was a pretty big guy. I would have lost. But I almost want it to be angry in order to feel something other than sadness. I'm glad my friend was there to hold me back and to keep me on this the straight and narrow. But I remember how anger was a large part of this outlet. 5. Bargaining: The third stage of grief is bargaining. Bargaining is a way for us to try to regain a sense of control and make sense of the loss. We're in the bargaining stage. We might try to make deals or arrangements with ourselves or with a higher power in an effort to prevent the loss from happening or to change the outcome. Bargaining can show up in many different ways. Some people tried to make promises about what they will do in the future in exchange for the loss not happening, others might try to make it a bargain with a higher power, offering sacrifices and exchange for the loss. It's important to recognize bargaining is normal. This is a natural part of the grieving process, and it's okay to feel a sense of desperation really comes from their need of wanting to make things better. Eventually though, accepting the reality of loss and finding ways to move forward is the way out of bargaining. It's important to recognize the bargaining stage. Doesn't mean you are not accepting the reality of loss. It's a normal to experience this range for motion and it's okay to feel a sense of desperation and powerlessness to prevent or change the outcome of the loss. One way to cope with the bargaining stage is to talk with others about your feeling, sharing your thoughts and feelings with a trusted friend, family member, or a therapist or a counselor can help you process your emotions and find healthy ways to cope with their grief. For me, bargaining showed up in the sense of appealing to a higher power and being like, I don't know who's up there. But if you're willing to exchange my health for my son's health, I'll happily do it. Looking back on it now, obviously had no control over this. But if there was one thing that I could've done, I realized that I would have. And I think that's part of this bargaining processes. Trying to trying to do everything in your power to try to help. 6. Depression: The fourth stage of grief as depression. Depression is a natural response to loss and it's a way for us to process and cope with intense emotions that often accompany grief. When we're in that depression stage, you might feel overwhelmed by sadness, hopelessness, and a sense of emptiness shows up in lots of different ways. Changes in sleep. Different appetites, difficulty concentration, difficulty making decisions. Some people might feel detached or disconnected from others, while others just feeling lonely or isolated. It's important to recognize. Again, depression is normal. It's a natural part of the grieving process. To me, it means you loved. It's okay to feel sad and overwhelmed after experiencing loss. However, if your depression persists or it's interfering with your daily life, It's important to keep doing the things that help make you feel better to work your way out of this stage. One of the things you can do is take care of your physical health during this time, getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, doing anything physical, even if that's just getting outside. This can improve your overall sense of well-being and help you move through this stage. It's also important to remember that you can ask for help. Grief can be overwhelming and depression the same. This can include talking with a therapist or a counselor, joining a support group, or reaching out to trusted family and friends. Depression showed up in many different forums. For me personally. I felt sad. I felt overwhelmed in depression did affect my daily life for a long time. I was unable to sleep. I was having terrible, terrible nightmares. I either didn't want to eat or wanted to eat everything. I could not concentrate. I had to leave work for a long time. I could not make a decision. And I felt extremely detached and disconnected from others. It was a surreal experience, feeling that isolated and that's sad. And I worked through it using the tactics we've just described. But it didn't happen overnight. It took a long time. 7. Acceptance: The fifth stage of grief is acceptance. Acceptance is a way for us to come to terms with reality, but loss. When we're in acceptance stage, we might feel a sense of peace. Even though we still feel that sense of sadness and loss, they can exist at the same time. It doesn't mean we're okay with the loss where that we've forgotten about our loved one. It simply means we've come to terms. Our brain can understand the reality of it and start to see a live past it. It's important to recognize acceptance isn't a onetime thing. It's not uncommon for you to revisit the stage as you continue to cope with a grape. Acceptance doesn't mean you've resolved all of your feelings of the loss. It just means you're continuing to move forward. One way to cope with the acceptance stage is to continue to talk with others about your feelings. It's also important to find ways to honor and remember your loved one. We'll talk about those in the next stages. It can be helpful to set small goals for yourself and to take things one day at a time. This can help give you that sense of accomplishment and also help you focus on the present moment rather than getting overwhelmed. 8. Finding meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief is finding meaning. In this stage, we begin to find a way to make sense of our loss. Finding purpose and meaning in the midst of our grief. In one way, finding meaning is a way for us to cope. Can show up in lots of different ways. Some people find it in their faith or spirituality, while others find meaning in their relationships with loved ones or in their work or hobbies. Some people may find meaning in their loss by advocating for causes or issues that are important to them or their loved ones. While others may find meaning in volunteering or giving back to the community. It's important to recognize that finding meaning is personal and individual process. What brings meaning to one person may not necessarily bring meaning to another. It's important to allow yourself the time and space to explore what brings meaning to you and to find a way to incorporate this into your life. Now if this doesn't resonate with you right now, That's fine. I understand. I remember when I was in my early stages of grief hearing this section, reading about this section being like there was no meaning, there is no meaning. Since then, I've had a few ideas of how to honor and remember my loved one. I am starting a scholarship in his name at my local high school where I will donate to someone who who's graduating, who has overcome the obstacles that show perseverance and resilience, and that's the way it can honor my boy. I've got to I've got this course that I'm teaching that I hope can help other people and myself find meaning in this process. It is those small acts that every day I try to be kind to people that I meet on the street app. No idea what they're going through. Just as lots of people would wouldn't know that from me just by looking at me. So those small seems so small. But they're there, the nuggets of meaning that I found in this incredibly difficult situation. 9. Moving forward: The seventh and final stage of grief is moving forward. In this stage, we're able to find a way to live a fulfilling life. Despite the loss we've experienced. We can find joy, find meaning in our lives, and we're able to cope with our loss and healthy way. This stage, if moving forward does not mean we forget about our loved one, or that we no longer feel a sense of sadness or loss. I feel as lens lost every single day of my life. I will never, ever forget my boy. But I'm starting to find a way to move forward. I'm starting to understand that in my personal case that he didn't arrive in my life for me to be sad forever. He wanted me to live a life. And part of that living of life is like we talked about, is that finding meaning. Like the last section where we talked about finding meaning and moving forward. Remember that this is highly personal. And like all of the stages, you might approach it or you might not approach it. It might be a part of your process and it might not be a part of your process. As we talked about, grief doesn't end. Grief is, can be ongoing and can be cyclical. And it's very common for you to revisit certain emotions or stages as you cope with different aspects of the loss. If you weren't at these stages or you feel like you'll never get to them. Please be patient with yourself. Please allow yourself time, space to work through this loss, to elevate, to accept, to feel the emotions, and to continue to cope. As you begin to find a way to live your life. 10. Self Care: How To Feel Good, Again: Self-care is an important aspect of coping with grief. It's essential to prioritize taking care of yourself as you navigate the grieving process. This is hard. I know. Self-care can help you cope with these intense emotions and help you find a sense of balance and stability as you work through your loss. Here's some tips that I've found for practicing self-care during grief. Number one, take care of your physical health. Even if we were just going down the street for an ice cream, to me that's still counted as getting outside and going forward. It is important to prioritize prioritize taking care of your physical health in whatever way that looks like. That can include getting enough rest, eating a fruit, going for a walk. These activities can help you cope with the physical and emotional challenges that come with grief. Number to find an activity that brings you comfort and peace. This can include spending time in a park, practicing mindfulness, napping, engaging in a hobby or activity that you enjoy, spending time with pets. These activities that you normally find a sense of calm can also help you cope with intense emotions. Number three is seek support from others. You're not alone in this grief. Although it might feel like it. Seeking support from others is an important aspect of self-care. Whether that's with a therapist or a counselor or joining a support group or reaching out to trusted friends and family? I did all of the above. I was part of a grief group, one-to-one therapists. I reached out to friends and family. Those are all really important aspects for feeling better. Lastly, be kind. Practice self-compassion. This is tough. This might be the toughest moment of your life. It was the toughest moment, moments of my life. And I found myself the negative self-talk, the doubting, that denial, the confidence, everything that was a part of my life with the depression was changed and couldn't concentrate in that couldn't focus. And it's really hard to be kind to yourself. But out of all of the experiences that we have in life and on this earth. This is one incredible time to practice kindness towards yourself. Lastly, is to set boundaries. Set boundaries to take care of yourself, including saying no to social invitations. That can be overwhelming. Setting limits on the amount of time you spend with certain people. Setting these boundaries can help you prioritize your own well-being and help you cope with the demands of grief? There were certain times where I wasn't able to spend a lot of time with family and friends. Didn't have the energy, didn't have the ability to deal with other people's issues or problems. I didn't respond to WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Still not really that good at it. And I allowed myself to set my own boundaries in order to protect my space, to protect my time, to protect my energy. And in retrospect, it was a really powerful skill to learn because I realized before that had never really set those boundaries. 11. Case study: In this section we're going to do a little case study of another example. Someone who's dealing with grief. Stage one, denial. Sarah was in a state of shock when she received the news that her husband had been in a serious car accident, she couldn't believe this was happening. And kept telling yourself that Amazon the mistake, she refused to believe that her husband was gone and kept expecting him to walk through the door at any moment. Sorrows in the denial stage of grief. And it was a way for her to cope with the overwhelming emotions that she was feeling, stage to anger after the initial shock of her husband's death were off. Sorry, I began to feel angry. She's angry at herself for not being with them. When the accident happened. She was angry at the driver, caused the accident. She found herself lashing out at loved ones, struggled to control her emotions, sorrows, and the anger stage of grief. And it was a way for her to cope with the intense emotions she's feeling. Stage three, bargaining. Sro struggled with their grief. She found herself bargaining with the higher power. She begged for a chance to have her husband back. Problems to be a better person if only she could have them back. She found herself replaying events in her mind and trying to come up with ways she could have changed the outcome. Sorrows in the bargaining stage of grief. And it was a way for her to cope with the intense emotions she's feeling. Stage for depression. Is the days turn into weeks are found yourself struggling with depression. She had difficulty sleeping, foster appetite, found it difficult to find joy. She isolated from loved ones and struggled to find meaning in your life. This was the depression stage and it was a way for her to cope with the intense emotions. Who's feeling? Stage five, acceptance. As time pass our begun to accept the reality of her husband's death, she found herself able to talk about him without breaking down. Stage six, Finding Meaning. Sr navigated the acceptance stage of grief. She began to find meaning in our loss. She found solace interfaith began to volunteer at a local hospice, helping others who are grieving. She also began to find meaning in her relationships with loved ones and found comfort. The memory that you shared with her husband's sorrow within the finding meaning Stage of Grief. And it was a way for her to cope with her loss and find a way to move forward. State seven. Moving forward. Sorry, continued to cope with their grief. She found herself able to move forward in a healthy way. She found joy in relationships with loved ones and in her work was able to find a sense of peace and acceptance and her loss. Sorry, I was able to move forward and her grief to find a way to live a fulfilling life despite the loss of her husband. It is important to recognize grief is personal and individual. And while I told that story in that case study, lots of those points really hit home for me. I could see a lot of resemblance as even though my losses with a baby in her losses with her partner, I can still see myself and a lot of those stages. And I'm wondering if you due to wonder if you see yourself moving through some of those stages, those emotions, and some of those feelings. What that brings up for you. This example is meant to provide just an idea of focusing on the stages and what each stage of grief looks like. But it's also important to remember that your experience is going to be unique. Your experience is going to be different. That story might ring true for you, or it might be completely different. 12. Class project : For our class project, you will create a self-care plan for coping with grief. Step one is to reflect on your own experience with grief. What has helped you to cope with their grief from the past? What has been challenging for you in this grieving process? Step two, identify at least three self-care activities. You find most helpful, coping with grief. These could be activities such as spending time in nature, engaging in a hobby, or an activity that brings you joy or seeking support from others. Step three, create a self-care plan that includes those three self-care activities that you will commit to practicing on a regular basis. Consider setting specific times or days for the activities and make a plan for how you will incorporate them into your weekly routine. Step for share your self-care plan with a trusted friend or family member or with a therapist or counselor to receive both support and accountability. As you implement your plan. Step five is to reflect on your self-care plan and make any necessary adjustments as you continue to cope with their grief. It's important to be flexible and to make changes as needed in order to support your own well-being. When you post your class project, I'll be able to view it and offer any feedback that I can. Good luck. 13. How To Keep On...: In conclusion, navigating the stages of grief is challenging. It's emotional. It's difficult. It's important to remember everyone's experience with grief is unique. It's normal to feel a wide range of emotions as you've worked through the loss. Like I said, you might feel all seven stages in one day. In this video, of course, we've explored the stages of grief. Now to try to navigate them in a healthy way, how to move through them. The stock. We've also covered the importance of self-care, the role of support from others in ways that you can start to find meaning and purpose. In the midst of grief. I hope you found this course helpful. I hope you've gained a better understanding of the grieving process, whether or not you reach all these stages or not. I'm going to repeat this again. Please be kind with yourself. Please allow yourself the time and space to work through your emotions as you navigate the grieving process. Whether it takes one month, one year, ten. It's all valid. It's all important. I asked you to prioritize self-care, which is part of the class project. Seek support, knows, you know, you can receive help from I wish you strength and courage as you continue to cope with your loss and find a way to move forward. Take care of yourself. Remember you're not alone. Integrate. I'd like to end this course by reading a pump. It's called gone from my site by Henry Van ****. I'm standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the moving brace and starts for the Blue Ocean. She's an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length. She hangs like a speck of white cloud, just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone on my side says, there She's Gone. Gone where? Gone from my site. That is all. She's just as large unmasked Hall and spar as she was when she left my side. And she's just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port. Or diminished size is in me, not in her. N. Just at the moment when someone says There, she is gone. There are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shell. Here she comes. And that is dying.