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Grief after bereavement or loss

Most people experience grief when they lose something or someone important to them. If these feelings are affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help.

Support is also available if you're finding it hard to cope with stress, anxiety or depression.

Important: Get urgent help

Support is available if you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis or emergency, no matter what you're going through.

Find out where to get urgent help for mental health

Symptoms of bereavement, grief and loss

Bereavement, grief and loss can cause many different symptoms and they affect people in different ways. There's no right or wrong way to feel.

As well as bereavement, there are other types of loss such as the end of a relationship or losing a job or home.

Signs and symptoms of grief can include:

  • shock and numbness – this is usually the first reaction to loss, and people often talk about "being in a daze"
  • overwhelming sadness, with lots of crying
  • tiredness or exhaustion
  • anger – towards the person you've lost or the reason for your loss
  • guilt – for example, guilt about feeling angry, about something you said or did not say, or not being able to stop your loved one dying

These feelings may not be there all the time and powerful feelings may appear unexpectedly.

It's not always easy to recognise when bereavement, grief or loss are the reason you're acting or feeling differently.

Stages of bereavement or grief

People often talk about grief coming in stages. You may not experience all of the stages, they may not happen in a particular order, and you may not move smoothly between them.

The stages of grief are:

  • Denial – feelings of shock, disbelief, panic or confusion
  • Anger – feelings and behaviours such as blaming yourself or blaming others
  • Depression – feeling tired, hopeless or helpless – like you have lost perspective or feel isolated
  • Bargaining – feelings of guilt often raise questions like "If only I had done more"
  • Acceptance – this does not mean that you like the situation, it’s about accepting your loss and being ready to move forward

You might also experience other feelings as well as those mentioned.

Your grief might feel chaotic and out of control, but these feelings will eventually become less intense over time.

Things you can try to help with bereavement, grief and loss

Do

  • try talking about your feelings to a friend, family member, healthcare professional or counsellor

  • consider peer support, where people use their experiences to help each other

  • regular exercise can improve your mood and may help you sleep better

  • eat a healthy diet with regular meals to keep your energy levels stable

Don’t

  • do not try to do everything at once – set small targets that you can easily achieve

  • do not focus on the things you cannot change – focus your time and energy into helping yourself feel better

  • try not to tell yourself that you're alone – most people feel grief after a loss and support is available

  • try not to use alcohol, cigarettes, gambling or drugs to relieve grief – these can all contribute to poor mental health

Information:

Further information and support

You can find further information and support from several organisations, including:

When and where to get medical help

You may feel sad after a bereavement and these feelings should ease gradually with time.

But if you are feeling increasingly depressed or anxious you may need medical help.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

  • you're struggling to cope with stress, anxiety or a low mood
  • you've had a low mood for more than 2 weeks
  • things you're trying yourself are not helping
  • you would prefer to get a referral from a GP

Other ways to get help

If you're 18 or over (or 16 or over in some areas), you can refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service without talking to a GP.

Find NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression

If you're under 18, find out more about mental health support for children and young people.

Causes of bereavement, grief and loss

Grief and bereavement are natural responses to loss and can be triggered by many things and not just the death of a loved one.

You can have feelings of grief after:

  • the end of a relationship
  • losing a job
  • moving to a new place to live
  • someone close to you becomes seriously ill

Prolonged grief disorder

For most people grief after the death of a loved one becomes less intense over time. But for some people, grief after a death lasts many months or years. This is known as prolonged grief disorder or complicated grief.

Symptoms of prolonged grief disorder include:

  • very difficult feelings such as sadness or guilt that do not get any easier as the months go by
  • spending a lot of time thinking about the person who's died
  • difficulty accepting the death
  • not being able to return to everyday activities
  • suicidal thoughts

You're more likely to have prolonged grief disorder if the death was traumatic or sudden and unexpected.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

  • you have symptoms of prolonged grief disorder
Information:

Find out more about prolonged grief disorder on the Cruse website

Page last reviewed: 14 July 2026
Next review due: 14 July 2029