Health & Wellness: August 2026
The Many Facets of Grief
Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. While grieving the loss of a loved one is often the most intense type of grief, any loss can cause grief. In addition to the death of a loved one, other sources of grief include:
- Death of a pet
- Divorce or relationship breakup
- Loss of health
- Losing a job
- Loss of financial stability
- A miscarriage
- Retirement
- A loved one’s serious illness
- Loss of friendship
- Selling the family home
Whatever your loss, it’s personal to you. If the person, animal, relationship or situation was significant to you, it’s normal to grieve the loss you’re experiencing.
Some ways to help cope with your grief
- Acknowledge your pain
- Understand that your grieving process will be unique to you
- Accept that grief can trigger many different and unexpected emotions
- Support yourself emotionally by taking care of yourself physically
- Seek out face-to-face support from people who care about you.
- Seek professional help if your grief is overwhelming
- Join a support group. Guardian Angels has a Healing Hearts grief support group available to all.
Excerpts taken from Coping with Grief and Loss by Melinda Smith, Lawrence Robinson and Jeanne Segal