According to Dr. Phil, the biggest challenge people who have experienced loss will deal with is getting their minds around what they are facing. If you are in the grieving process, you can expect to go through these four stages:
Shock: Feeling numb. You may wake up wondering, "Is this real?"
Denial: Being unable to accept the situation. You may find yourself thinking, "This can't be happening. It's not real." ?"
Anger: Wanting to lash out at everyone. You may continually ask, "How can this happen?" ?"
Resolution: Feeling like there is a way past the grief, an end to the sadness. You may say to yourself, "I will get through this."
During the grieving process, you may feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster ride, but things will get better if you allow yourself to heal. Dr. Phil suggests that you keep the following in mind:
Accept the things that you can't control.
"There's something that's happened in the evolution of life in our current society that leads us to arrogantly believe that we run this world — and we don't," says Dr. Phil. "We've got to be accepting of those things we don't control."
Find meaning to your suffering.
Don't allow yourself to be devastated for no reason, no meaning and no purpose. "You've got to create some value to the pain that you experience in your life," advises Dr. Phil. "It may be nothing more than helping those who are further back down the trail than you are. It is a process. It is an evolution. If you use your pain and what you've been through in your life, it won't seem to [be] such nonsense."