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Bereavement

Most people experience grief when they lose something or someone important to them. If these feelings are affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help.

Support is also available if you're finding it hard to cope with stress, anxiety or depression.

Information:

If you're not sure how you feel, try our mood self-assessment.

Symptoms of bereavement, grief and loss

Bereavement, grief and loss can cause many different symptoms and they affect people in different ways. There's no right or wrong way to feel.

As well as bereavement, there are other types of loss such as the end of a relationship or losing a job or home.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

  • shock and numbness – this is usually the first reaction to loss, and people often talk about "being in a daze"
  • overwhelming sadness, with lots of crying
  • tiredness or exhaustion
  • anger – towards the person you've lost or the reason for your loss
  • guilt – for example, guilt about feeling angry, about something you said or did not say, or not being able to stop your loved one dying

These feelings may not be there all the time and powerful feelings may appear unexpectedly.

It's not always easy to recognise when bereavement, grief or loss are the reason you're acting or feeling differently.

Things you can try to help with bereavement, grief and loss

   Do

  Don't
  • do not try to do everything at once – set small targets that you can easily achieve
  • do not focus on the things you cannot change – focus your time and energy into helping yourself feel better
  • try not to tell yourself that you're alone – most people feel grief after a loss and support is available
  • try not to use alcohol, cigarettes, gambling or drugs to relieve grief – these can all contribute to poor mental health

Further information and support

You can find further information and support about:

The GOV.UK website also has information about what to do after someone dies, such as registering the death and planning a funeral.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-bereavement/

The Loss Foundation are the only UK charity dedicated solely to providing bereavement support following the death of a loved one to cancer. They provide a variety of support events (in person and online) to help people connect in loss. They also educate and empower others to support those who are grieving via workshops and training.

For more information or to access support from The Loss Foundation, please visit their website www.thelossfoundation.org