Healthy Grief and Components of Grievance - Essay Example

Healthy Grief Grief is considered to be the natural reaction of people to any major loss occurred in their lives. This can be thedeath of their loved ones or an incurable or long term injury. There are several components of grievance such as emotional, physical, mental, social and spiritual. Some of the symptoms of grievance are usually guilt, depression, gloominess and hopelessness. However the most common responses of a person to grief are anger, shock, numbness, fatigue, shock and yearning. Though grief is considered to be normal and the expected reaction of a person when faced with pain, still lengthened or severe grief may impose negative effects on a person’s health and may also result in some serious issues. As humans we have the ability of building strong affections, attachments and relationships with others. The breaking of these bonds may result in strong emotion reaction. It is the responsibility of the health care professionals to understand in depth the process of grievance and also provide support to the people undergoing this process and work toward bringing such people back to the normal life. This paper takes into account the comparison between the grief process defined by the writer Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and also the relationship that exists between grief process and joy. Finally the paper ends with defining one’s own method of handling grievance and how my experience has helped me to change my view about it. There are five stages of grief that has been outlined by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross which are anger, bargaining, depression, denial and finally acceptance. Kubler-Ross also explains the fact that not every stage is experienced by every person nor do they experience the discuss stages in the same order. The grievance model presented by the Kubler-Ross is considered effective for the purpose of understanding and also dealing with grief. It is also being used in Europe and United Sates from the medical point of view. However there is no doubt about the fact that the whole coping with grief mechanism can be linked to religion and most significantly with faith. The model present by Kubler-Ross effectively explains the psychological and the technical basis of grievance. However, it fails to explain that why some religions and cultures approach grief in their own different and unique ways. For example in the Holy Bible we see that several times the prophets as well as the apostles have turn to God blaming Him, questioning Him and even bargaining with God out of desperation and despair. The Tibetan Buddhists believe that it is certain that everyone has to die one day, however the relatives and friends of the person who died must focus on their own death rather than grieving for the person, as it will not only decrease their suffering but will ensure their chances for reincarnation (Awelrod, 2013). The Holy Bible presents the suffering and the grievance of Job. After God formed a wall around Job and the worldly blessing by taking his offspring, livestock and all his wealth Job did not grieve at first; however later we see him encircling all the stages of grievance outlined by Kubler-Ross. At first we see him denying the situation he is experiencing. Later as the affliction that has been imposed on Him by God intensifies, Job outlook about the situation eventually turns into anger. We also see Job bargaining with God by showing his unaltered faith on Him and in return he asks Him to bestow His blessing on him (Job Summary, 2013). Grief and joy are usually considered to be the different sides of the same coin. Both joy and grief coexists, as one cannot imagine the existence of one without the other. In this life one cannot experience joy without experiencing grief or one can say that grief is what lets you know the value of joy and provides human with the way to get closer to their Creator. According to most of the religions grievance or suffering is considered to be the way through which the Almighty connects with the people as most people turn to God when they are in pain. However the people who are religious also turn to God to thank for the blessing they have received from Him. Therefore one can say that Joy as well as Grief is a way to connect with the Almighty. While comparing Joy and Grief one can observe that the stages of joy have not been defined by any writer. However, the symptoms of joy can be happiness and realization whereas the symptoms of grief include anger, depression and guilt. The symptoms of both joy and grief are opposite to one another yet one cannot deny the fact that both of these are interconnected (Grieving - examples of how the process works, 2012). The research about the stages of grievance presented in the paper can be related to my personal life as well. I have experienced the same stages as described by Rubler-Ross at the time of grievance. The stages of grief as described by Rubler-Ross have been experienced by most of the human beings. It is certain that not all of them experience all the stages but they do experience some of them at the time of great loss such as the demise of a loved one or a serious injury or long term ailment. This paper has definitely provided me a new perception for viewing grievance. I am now certain about the fact that joy and grief are a part of life and one cannot exist without the other. It cannot be that a person experience happiness but not pain and suffering; however joy as well as grief only stays with a person for a certain period of time. Severe grief may impose negative effects on the physical as well as the mental health of the person but it is the task of the health specialists and the relatives to make the person understand that this suffering is temporary and it will end after sometimes. References Grieving - examples of how the process works. (2012). Retrieved September 4, 2014, from Compare the relationship and interaction between joy and the above grieving models and examples. Job Summary. (2013). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from Sparks Notes : http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oldtestament/section11.rhtml Awelrod, J. (2013). The 5 Stages of Loss and Grief. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/000617 Read More