You can help yourself by understanding a bit more about some of the issues and emotions you are likely to encounter. The following are all common emotional responses to bereavement. They may come after each other, seem completely random or be repeated during mourning. Shock and numbness Most people who are bereaved report a phase straight after hearing the news as feeling as if they are cut off from others. They feel numb and unable to fully take in what has happened.
Some people carry on with daily tasks, almost as if nothing has happened.
Others sit for hours, feeling as if they cannot move. Anger and tension Many people experience feelings of anger after a bereavement. Sometimes this anger comes out as directed at a doctor or nurse who cared for a loved one or at a member of the family. Or even at the dead person themselves for leaving them alone. It is natural to feel angry, but remember that although you may seek to blame others, your judgement of situations will have been altered by the intensity of your feelings after a death.