The Five Effects of Caregiver’s Grief

Grief is a natural and normal reaction to loss and change. It affects ALL aspects of ourselves: the physical, emotional, psychological, behavioral, and spiritual aspects. I myself have experienced and still experience these effects of grief still from time to time. I’ve listed the main effects below.

1. PHYSICAL EFFECTS

• Headaches • dizziness • exhaustion muscular aches • loss of appetite • insomnia • hollowness • breathlessness

2. EMOTIONAL EFFECTS

• Anger • sadness • anxiety • sense of helplessness • shock • numbness • yearning • relief • guilt

3. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

• Sense of depersonalization • lack of concentration • search for the meaning of life or death • dreams of the deceased • preoccupation with thoughts of the deceased

4. BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS

• crying • change of relationships • avoiding reminders • carrying reminders • withdrawal • over-activity • Moodiness • apathy

5. SPIRITUAL EFFECTS

• embracing one's faith • questioning one's faith • reliance upon God • anger toward God • coming to grips with one's own mortality • searching for the meaning of life

Because grief is such a unique reaction, the intensity, pattern, time frames and resolution will vary for every individual. This is because who you lost and the manner in which you lost them would affect you differently.

Which effects of grief have you experienced? Please feel free to both comment and share this post.