grieving are the natural response to a major loss. But any loss can cause
feelings of grief, sometimes when you least expect it.
Losses that may cause grief include:
- Death of a loved one.
diagnosed with a chronic or terminal disease.
- Disability from a
severe accident or illness.
- Divorce or the end of a relationship.
- Miscarriage or stillbirth.
- The birth of a
child with a birth defect.
- A diagnosis of
- Learning that your child or
teen has developed a behavior problem, learning disability, or substance abuse
- A move from a familiar home. This is especially hard for
- Job loss.
- Loss of independence after a
serious accident or illness.
- An act of violence or a natural
Grief can be also caused by a loss related to a normal,
seemingly positive life change. Examples of such life events include:
- Starting school (loss of the comfort of home
and familiar surroundings).
- Gaining increasing independence and
self-responsibility in the late childhood and teen years (loss of dependence on
- Marriage (loss of independent decision
- Birth of a child (loss of
- Retirement (loss of income, work-related identity,
and daily social contact).
- Aging and maturing (loss of physical
strength and youthful appearance).
You may find that old feelings of grief from past loss can
be triggered by current experiences or anniversaries of that loss. This is