Beginning Experience International Ministry The end of a marital relationship is one of the most traumatic losses a person will ever experience. The normal, natural reaction to such a loss is grief. You need to go through the grief to heal.
Grief is much more than a feeling, although feelings are a part of it. Feelings of grief may include, among others:
- Sadness
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Helplessness
- Shock
- Relief
- Bitterness
- Guilt
- Loneliness
You may also find yourself behaving differently. Changes in behavior include such things as:
- Loss of appetite
- Withdrawal from others
- Inability to sleep or sleeping excessively
- Crying
- Avoiding or visiting places that remind you of the loss
- Absent-minded behavior
The grief may manifest itself physically in such ways as:
- Tightness in the throat or chest
- Hollowness in the pit of the stomach
- Oversensitivity to noise
- Lack of energy, tiredness
- Rapid heartbeat
- Muscle tension or weakness
- Shallow breath
Your spiritual life may be impacted by the loss through:
- Questioning your belief
- Expressing anger at God
- Difficulty praying
- A deeper reliance on God
- Feeling that God is nowhere to be found
These feelings and changes may be both new and frightening, but knowing that they are normal reactions to loss can be a first step on the road to coping with your grief.