Serious loss is something which we all face, at some time, in our lives. It can be the death of someone close to us – including a much loved pet. Grief is a very intense and complex personal experience, and it can affect you in many different ways. 

Losing someone close to you can be a highly distressing experience and is usually accompanied by a wide range of strong emotions. Everyone who experiences a loss will cope with it in lots of different way and there is no ‘usual’ way to cope.

It is important to know that grief is a process and there is no time limit or deadline on recovering or feeling better. Take the time to deal with your grief—even though you may feel that you need to return to normal day to day life. You may feel like you will never get over a loss. You won’t feel better all at once, but it will start to get easier over time

Coping with the loss of someone, or something, you love is one of life’s biggest challenges. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one, but any loss can cause grief, including:

• Loss of health
• Losing a job
• Divorce or relationship breakup
• A miscarriage
• Death of a pet
• Loss of a friendship

It is very difficult to predict how you might feel after a loss as it is a very individual process. After a loss you may experience the following:

Grief could affect you in a lot of different ways and everyone may experience something different. Here are some things that can be affected: