Humans are social beings thus establish relationships that last a life time. Other animals also have relationships that may strong but not comparable to humans. Strong relationships include the relationship between family members, friends and neighbors. Life of any man is limited by death where every man eventually dies due to sickness or old age. Grief is what the other members of the society feel. Grief can be described as a normal internal feeling of loss that someone experiences due to loss of a loved one. Grief may become a medical condition if prolonged over a period of one year. Unlike grief, mourning is expressed outwards by the person suffering the loss.
In the case of a couple, the mortality rate of a surviving spouse decreases within six months of the death of a spouse. This is attributed to anxiety and stress disorders associated with the death of a love one. It is important that other members of the family comfort and keep company the remaining spouse to deal with this disorder. Consolation of the aggrieved party is important especially at the start of the mourning period. Company in the initial stages enables the aggrieved party to deal with the loss and recover within a short time (Belsky & Janet 91).
The role of the diseased in the society also determines the effect of the loss on the mourners. Leaders and family heads have a great effect on other members of the society and the family respectively. Loss of a leader or a family head at an early age has a great effect on the family members emotionally and financially. The loss of a mother or a child may break up the family due to the stress suffered by the family members. It is important that emotional support be given to the family members after the loss of loved one.
The risk of increased risk of emotional stress can be affected by the nature of the death, relationship between the family members and physical and emotional health of the family members. The grieving process is shorter when the family members are physically and emotionally strong. The family can also deal with the loss if the death is from a natural cause like old age easily. In the event that the relationship between the family members is not strong then the family can deal with the death easily. In case the family is close, the death was sudden, and the family members are weak physically and emotionally, the effect of the loss will be prolonged and may cause a lot of suffering (Broadway & Marsha 128).
Grieving for a loved one occurs in a series of seven steps. It is important that the individual is comforted and allowed to express their feeling through out this time. Grieving is important because it enables the individual to get over the grief and move on with his life. The first stage of grief is shock and it occurs immediately the news is broken to the relatives of the dead person. Denial usually follows where the individual will not accept that the death has occurred. Bargain and guilt stages then follow where by the mourner feels he should have done more to help the dead person. Anger followed by depression is the other stages of grief that a mourner passes through and finally acceptance. When an individual accepts that the loved one has moved on then the grieving process ends.
Grieving process should be controlled to ensure that the person suffering the loss does not grief for a long time. The longer the person spends grieving the greater the physical and emotional toll the person suffers. Comforting the person suffering the loss should be promoted to facilitate quick recovery. This can best be achieved when a family stays together or when friends to the grieving party console their friend.
There are several ways of encouraging grieving parties. The first way is to spend time with them and assuring them that life should go on. Accepting that death is part of life is important to the individual and finding a way to move on will quicken the recovery process. In the event that the deceased is the sole bread winner, providing financial support to the family will enable the family to take care of the funeral and the needs of the family. This kind of support is provided by well wishers and employers of the deceased. This form of support helps prevent further suffering of the dependents thus control grief (Verosky 156).
The family is the basic unit in the society and relationships within the family are very strong. Loss of any member of the family causes grief to the family members. Friendship relationships are also responsible for causing grief in the event a friend is lost. Death is part of life and acceptance is the only way to ensure that the adverse effects of death to the society are maintained to avoid prolonged grief. Prolonged grieving is responsible for weakened relationships with the society due to withdrawal from the society, physical and emotional stress that may weaken the body and may reduce mortality rate for some family members. Grieving parties should be led through the mourning process to enable them to recover quickly.
References
Verosky, D. (2006). Good grief: assisting patients and their loved ones in dealing with death. Med-Surg Matters, 15(6), 1.
Broadway, M. D. (2008). dealing with death: books to help young people cope with grief. Teacher Librarian, 35(5), 44-48.
Belsky, Janet. (2007). Experiencing the Lifespan. New York: Worth. Print.
