The weight of loss: how the complexities of grief can impact our daily lives. <\/p>
Whether we\u2019re dealing with the death of a loved one, the pain of heartbreak or the end of a career, loss can feel unbearable. But grief is a natural part of life with deep roots in our evolutionary history.<\/p>\n
Grief begins in the brain, but it affects the whole body. The moment we learn of our loss, our brain\u00a0triggers the fight-or-flight response<\/a>. This heightened state puts extra stress on our organs and bodily functions, and we would usually experience it for a few minutes to 48 hours. But after bereavement, the effects of\u00a0the fight-or-flight response can continue<\/a>\u00a0for months. Even years later, being reminded of our loss can retrigger the response.<\/p>\n Though we\u2019ve been led to believe grief has a trajectory of five stages \u2013 denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance \u2013 it\u2019s really a non-linear process and its emotions can overlap, fade and reappear over time.<\/p>\n Psychologists believe these feelings associated with loss evolved when we started to survive by way of collaboration and community.<\/p>\n In the beginning, we yearn for what we\u2019ve lost, which would\u2019ve encouraged us to look for missing members of our group. Later, we become more ruminating, as our brain turns toward protecting us and our group against future losses.<\/p>\n In becoming a social species, we started to form deep, emotional attachments. By their very nature, these relationships have to be meaningful \u2013 to forgo the pain of grief, we\u2019d also have to give up our ability to love.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n