Stages of Grief Resources

After experiencing a loss, most people go through the “Five Stages of Grief,” an emotional cycle identified by psychologist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. Each person will go through this emotional journey in a personal way, and not everyone will pass through every step. However, most people will experience the majority of these emotions as they grieve and heal. 

The Five Stages of Grief are: 

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

Use these grief support resources to help you better identify and work through what you may be feeling: 

• What You Should Know About the Five Stages of Grief
• An informative article that explains each stage in detail, the psychology behind it, plus other models that may help you understand your grief. 
• Five Stages of Grief and How to Get Through Them
• A thorough and thoughtful piece that gives tips on how to move forward and heal based on the stage of grief you are experiencing. 
• Webhealing.com Grief Resources
• An interactive website dedicated to grief support by providing articles, videos, and forums. 
  

Denial and Acceptance Resources

When something as traumatic and painful as death occurs, denial can be a natural reaction. You may have difficulty accepting that your loved one is truly gone, wishing that they would walk back through the door and tell you that it was all a mistake. 

You are not bad or selfish for struggling with denial. You are human, and denial is a common way for us to try to protect ourselves from the pain of death. However, denial does not bring peace, and fighting acceptance for too long can stunt our personal growth. 

Below are some grief and loss support services to help you work toward acceptance: 

• AARP: Grief, Loss, and End of Life
• The AARP is a wonderful resource for those dealing with loss. They have many articles dedicated to helping you accept what has happened. 
• GriefShare
• One key way to move toward acceptance is to talk about your experience with others, processing verbally what you have been through. GriefShare is an online community of people who are also experiencing loss. You’ll find people to talk to, seminars to attend, and groups you can plug into.
  

Mental Health Services

Experiencing loss can take a toll on your mental health. The death of a loved one can trigger depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This is nothing to be ashamed of, but you may need expert help to heal. 

Luckily, there are many bereavement support services for mental health. 

• SAMHSA Mental Health Hotline
• A national, confidential helpline for treatment referral and information regarding mental health issues. 
• Mental Health America Screening
• Take a free, online screening, and then receive resources tailored to your needs.