Grief is a reaction to a major loss. It is most often an unhappy and painful emotion.

People who are grieving may have crying spells, some trouble sleeping, and lack of productivity at work.

Family and friends can offer emotional support during the grieving process. Sometimes outside factors can affect the normal grieving process, and people might need extra support from their community.

Grief may be triggered by the death of a loved one. Grief is the normal response of sorrow, emotion, and confusion that comes from losing someone or something important to you. It is a natural part of life. Grief is a typical reaction to death, breakup or divorce, job loss, a move away from friends anf family, or loss of good health due to illness

Everyone feels grief in their own way. Grief is expressed physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

Physical expressions of grief often include crying and sighing, headaches, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, weakness, fatigue, feelings of heaviness, aches, pains, and other stress-related ailments.
Emotional expressions of grief include feelings of sadness and yearning. But feelings of worry, anxiety, frustration, anger, or guilt are also normal.
Social expressions of grief may include feeling detached from others, isolating yourself from social contact, and behaving in ways that are not normal for you.
Spiritual expressions of grief may include questioning the reason for your loss, the purpose of pain and suffering, the purpose of life, and the meaning of death. After a death, your grieving process is influenced by how you view death.

For example, if you experienced a death, and if the person who died had a chronic illness, the death may have been expected. The end of the person’s suffering might even have come as a relief. If the death was accidental or violent, coming to a stage of acceptance could take longer.

Grief should not be prevented because it is a healthy response to loss. Instead, it should be respected. Those who are grieving should have support to help them through the process.

Grief and loss can affect your overall health. It can lead to depression or excessive alcohol or drug use. Grief that lasts for more than two months and is severe enough to interfere with daily life may be a sign of more serious illness, such as major depression.