MOST PEOPLE WHO SUFFER A LOSS EXPERIENCE ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. Feel tightness in the throat/heaviness in the chest.
2. Have an empty feeling in their stomach/lose their appetite.
3. Feel guilty at times and angry at others.
4. Feel restless and look for activity but find it difficult to concentrate.
5. Feel as though the loss isn't real, that it didn't really happen.
6. Sense the loved one's presence, as in finding themselves expecting the person to walk in the door at the usual time, hearing their voice, or seeing their face.
7. Wander aimlessly, forget, and neglect to finish things they've started around the house.
8. Have difficulty sleeping/dream of their loved one frequently.
9. Experience an intense pre-occupation with the life of the deceased.
10. Feel guilty/angry over things that happened/didn't happen in the relationship with the deceased.
11. Feel intensely angry at the loved one for leaving them.
12. Feel as though they need ot take care of other people who seem uncomfortable around them by politely not talking about their loss.
13. Need to tell/retell/remember things about the loved one and the experience of his or her death.
14. Cry at unexpected times.
15. Feel their mood change over the slightest things.
All of these are natural and normal grief responses. It is important to cry and talk with people when you need to do so.
By learning about the process of grief and learning also to express our feelings concerning our experience, we are helped to arrive at a healthy re-adjustment of our lives and a re-investment of emotional energy.
(This was information received from the Veteran's Administration Medical Center at Marion, Illinois.)