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DEVELOPMENT OF LATE ADULTHOOD - Coggle Diagram

- - - - pretending the loss or change isn’t happening. Denying it gives you time to more gradually absorb the news and begin to process it.
      - As you move out of the denial stage, however, the emotions you’ve been hiding will begin to rise. You’ll be confronted with a lot of sorrow you’ve denied.
      - Examples of the denial stage Death of a loved one: “She’s not gone. She’ll come around the corner any second.”
      - Terminal illness diagnosis: “This isn’t happening to me. The results are wrong.”
    - - Anger is hiding many of the emotions and pain that you carry. This anger may be redirected at other people, such as the person who died, your ex, or your old boss. You may even aim your anger at inanimate objects.
      - Examples of the anger stage Death of a loved one: “If she cared for herself more, this wouldn’t have happened.”
    - - During grief, you may feel vulnerable and helpless. In those moments of intense emotions, it’s not uncommon to look for ways to regain control or to want to feel like you can affect the outcome of an event. In the bargaining stage of grief, you may find yourself creating a lot of “what if” and “if only” statements.
      - Bargaining is a line of defense against the emotions of grief. It helps you postpone the sadness, confusion, or hurt.
      - Examples of the bargaining stage: Death of a loved one: “If only I had called her that night, she wouldn’t be gone.”
      - Terminal illness diagnosis: “If only we had gone to the doctor sooner, we could have stopped this.”
    - - Whereas anger and bargaining can feel very “active,” depression may feel like a “quiet” stage of grief. In the early stages of loss, you may be running from the emotions, trying to stay a step ahead of them. By this point, however, you may be able to embrace and work through them in a more healthful manner. You may also choose to isolate yourself from others in order to fully cope with the loss.
      - if you feel stuck here or can’t seem to move past this stage of grief, talk with a mental health expert. A therapist can help you work through this period of coping.
      - Examples of the depression stage Death of a loved one: “What am I without her?”
      - Terminal illness diagnosis: “My whole life comes to this terrible end.”
    - - Acceptance is not necessarily a happy or uplifting stage of grief. It doesn’t mean you’ve moved past the grief or loss. It does, however, mean that you’ve accepted it and have come to understand what it means in your life now.
      - Look to acceptance as a way to see that there may be more good days than bad, but there may still be bad — and that’s OK.
      - Examples of the acceptance stage Death of a loved one: “I am so fortunate to have had so many wonderful years with him, and he will always be in my memories.”
      - Terminal illness diagnosis: “I have the opportunity to tie things up and make sure I get to do what I want in these final weeks and months.”