The Acceptance Stage of Grief
The acceptance stage of grief sets in when the anger, sadness and mourning have narrowed down off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss and tries to move on, getting some normalcy back in life. Reaching the acceptance stage of grief is not so simple. Wit the sudden death and loss, one may never see beyond the anger or denial.
Acceptance stage of grief should not be looked upon as a sign of bravery. As this phase is marked by withdrawal and calm, it is definitely not a period of happiness and must be differentiated from depression. The acceptance stage is often confused with the person being ok with what has happened. This is not the case at all. Nobody is ok about losing some close or a loved one. This stage is more about accepting the reality that one is never going to see their loved one and coming to terms with the new permanent reality. Although we will never like this reality or make it look ok, but eventually we accept it.
We learn to live now in a world where our loved one is missing. In the acceptance stage of grief, many people try to go back to their old like as it was before a loved one died. In time, however, one can see that it is not possible to simply keep the past intact. It has been changed forever and we must readjust, reorganizing roles and re-assigning them to others.
As we begin to live again and enjoy our life, we often feel guilty of betraying our loved one. No one can replace what we have lost, but we can always make new beginnings. Instead of rejecting our emotions and feelings, we should listen to them as we move on. We may start reaching out to others and get involved in their lives. We can always invest in new friendships and in our relationship with ourselves. We can start living again but until we have given our grief its due time. Just pass through the acceptance stage of grief with the right emotions.
