Budding Grief
Grief
Grief differs from person to person, manifesting itself differently throughout different age groups. Generally, it is defined as deep sorrow following a traumatic circumstance, such as the loss of a person, event, or lifestyle. Grief is also recognized for its stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Still, it is important to know that grief manifests differently for all, and is a state that must be dealt with with care and support, and a process that must be experienced in order to fully heal and move forward.
Symptoms
While grief in teens varies depending on individual personalities and life experiences, many people find they feel a mixture of the following:
-
Sadness and frequent crying
-
Anger
-
Loneliness
-
Changes in sleep patterns
-
Appetite changes
-
Withdrawing from friends and family
-
Decline in academic performance
-
Difficulty concentrating
-
Avoiding social interactions
-
Low energy
Causes
There is a common misconception that the only form of grief is mourning the death of a loved one. However, grief can arise from many other types of loss, such as the end of a friendship, moving away, or parental divorce. Grief in teens is not just about the event itself, it’s more about the feelings that come with it, like change, instability, or uncertainty.
-
Losing a parent, sibling, friend, grandparent, or pet can lead to intense feelings of grief that may have a large impact on the emotional well-being and development of a teen. This type of loss can disrupt the stability of a teen, influencing their daily functioning as they navigate through intense feelings of sadness, anger, or guilt.
-
The end of a friendship or romantic relationship is another form of grief that can highly impact the emotional stability and well-being of teens, evoking feelings of sadness, rejection, or loneliness. Mainly, losing a close connection may lead teens to reevaluate who they are without that relationship, challenging their han of identity.
-
Moving away from a familiar environment and leaving behind loved ones can feel like a significant loss for teens. This huge transition can disrupt their sense of stability and belonging, as they are separated from the people and routines that have shaped their daily lives and thrown into a new, unfamiliar place.
-
Parental divorce can also cause feelings of grief in teenagers as it leads to a major change in their family structure and dynamic. Shifts in living arrangements and adjusting to new schedules can lead to stress and instability, causing a sense of uncertainty. Additionally, the breakup of a family can bring intense sadness to teens, making them miss the closeness they once had.
Efffects
The effects of grief are often different for all people, but it is common for many to have similar outcomes from a continuous process of grief:
-
Withdrawal: some adolescents might find themselves disassociating from their usual activities, and withdrawing from their relationships and trust found in friendships, relationships, and those they consider important.
-
Physical symptoms: it is also common for teenagers to manifest grief through different physical effects, including headaches, stomachaches, sleeping problems, fatigue, and depressive thoughts.
-
Guilt: teenagers might also feel guilty over their circumstances, and believe that they had a say in the situation. This might vary, depending on what their grief relates to (death, change, loss, etc.), but it is common for them to feel as if their decisions were correlated to what happened.
-
Anxiety: during the process of grief, it is common for teenagers to have constant thoughts of anxiety. This might be related to the fear of losing something or someone else, fear of change, or worry about themselves. They need to have constant communication with those around them, so that these intrusive thoughts may be relieved.
-
Regression: when experiencing grief, some teenagers might reverse back to past behaviors. It is common for them to go back into their childhood behaviors, regress their thoughts, and act like their younger selves. This can happen when teenagers try to find a feeling of normalcy, and stability during the whirlwind of events that surround grief.
Correlation to Depression
Grief is often related to a feeling of depression; as the process of loss and moving on can make teenagers feel as if they are lost or alone. These thoughts can initiate depressive thoughts and can lead to serious issues regarding their mental health. One needs to seek help before and during the last step of the cycle, to prevent deeper issues and find solutions to problems before they reach a breaking point, and lead teenagers into possible mental disorders.
