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Signs and Symptoms of Natural Grief*

There is no right or wrong way to mourn a loss. If you are in crisis and feel you may do harm to yourself or someone else, please tell someone who can help right away. You might experience emotional responses, thoughts, physical sensations or other behaviors that are normal and natural signs of grief. Be kind to yourself while you are grieving. Try to remember that the way you’re feeling or acting may be the result of grief, even if your response does not seem to be linked to the loss you have suffered.

Feelings (emotional responses)

  • Shock
  • Numbness
  • Relief
  • Sadness
  • Yearning (empty arms)
  • Anxiety
  • Fear
  • Anger
  • Guilt or regret
  • Loneliness
  • Helplessness
  • Hopelessness
  • Abandonment
  • Loss of Control

Cognitions (thinking responses)

  • Disbelief
  • Ruminating (circling) thoughts
  • Confusion
  • Disorganized thinking
  • Unable to concentrate
  • Occupied with thoughts of the child
  • Sense of presence of the child
  • Visual and auditory hallucinations
  • Dreams of the child

Physical Sensations

  • Hollowness in stomach
  • Tightness in chest
  • Heart palpitations
  • Sensitive to noise
  • Sense of detachment/depersonalization (nothing seems real, including self)
  • Breathlessness
  • Muscle weakness and/or tension
  • Lack of energy
  • Dry mouth
  • Gastrointestinal disturbances

Behaviors (can be distressing, but are natural)

  • Sleep disturbances
  • Loss of appetite or increased appetite
  • Searching, yearning or calling out
  • Crying
  • Sighing
  • Seeing the deceased
  • Absent minded behavior
  • Restlessness with or resentment over usual activities
  • Visiting or avoiding places that hold memories of the child
  • Carrying or wearing objects that belonged to the child
  • Treasuring objects that belonged to the child
  • Avoidance of reminders of the child
  • Social withdrawal
  • Unwillingness to initiate and/or maintain routine activities
  • Taking on mannerisms or behaviors of the child

*Adapted from Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy by J.W. Worden and Bereavement by C.M.Parkes, 2007

Important Numbers

If you are in crisis and feel you may do harm to yourself or someone else, please tell someone who can help right away. Call 911 for emergency services or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Get Support and More Information

For more information about our grief and bereavement support, please call (321) 841-9692.