The few studies that have compared responses to different types of losses have found that the loss of a child is followed by a more intense grief than the death of a spouse or a parent [5].
The scariest time, for those dreading the loss of a parent, starts in the mid-forties. Among people between the ages of 35 and 44, only one-third of them (34%) have experienced the death of one or both parents. For people between 45 and 54, though, closer to two-thirds have (63%).
For many people the loss of their mother is harder than the loss of their father. Not because they loved them any less, but the bond between mother and child is a special one. Your mother gave birth to you. She fed you and nurtured you throughout your childhood.
People say it is like losing a part of yourself, but I felt like my anchor to my identity was what had been severed. Shock, numbness, denial, anger, sadness, and despair are the feelings most people cycle through after the loss of a loved one. These emotions can persist in varying degrees for many months afterward.
Worse than losing a parent
Surprisingly, the risk of death following the loss of a sibling is higher than that after losing a parent. An earlier study by co-author Jiong Li from Aarhus University revealed at 50 per cent increased risk of an early death among children who had lost a parent.
The death of a husband or wife is well recognized as an emotionally devastating event, being ranked on life event scales as the most stressful of all possible losses.
Additionally, 5.7% lost their mother by age 15, 17.2% lost them by age 30, and 50.7% lost them by age 50. The most common age ranges in which people lost their father were 50-54 (11.5%), 45-49 (11.2%), and 40-44 (10.8%).
Suicide is a death like none other. Survivors of suicide can often experience different emotions that are unique to this kind of loss. This kind of death brings about so many unbearable feelings and emotions for the survivors.
"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive. Never surrender." ~ Tupac Shakur | SRTK.
Children who experience parental loss are at a higher risk for many negative outcomes, including mental issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, post-traumatic stress symptoms), shorter schooling, less academic success, lower self-esteem5, and more sexual risk behaviors6.
Grief and loss affect the brain and body in many different ways. They can cause changes in memory, behavior, sleep, and body function, affecting the immune system as well as the heart. It can also lead to cognitive effects, such as brain fog. The brain's goal?
The death of a loved one who was a meaningful part of your life can absolutely lead to significant shifts in your personality, which may include changes in your thought processes, priorities, motivating factors, and emotional patterns.
Changes in the family dynamic
Some people find that their role changes, and they feel more like a child again after their parent's death. Others find that they feel more like an adult as they take on more responsibility, particularly if their siblings start looking to them for support within the family dynamic.
So how can we find any benefits in that? Well, although none of us realise it at the time, going through the the grieving process is said to make us stronger personalities, better able to cope with challenges later in life.
Losing a loved one suddenly also raised the risk of major depression, excessive use of alcohol, and anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias.
The hardest part of losing someone, isn't having to say goodbye, but rather learning to live without them. Always trying fill the void, the emptiness that's left inside your heart when they go.
It is completely normal to feel profoundly sad for more than a year, and sometimes many years, after a person you love has died. Don't put pressure on yourself to feel better or move on because other people think you should. Be compassionate with yourself and take the space and time you need to grieve.
Fires are worse than losing everything, losing hope on which you can get everything back | Losing everything, Lost hope, Motivation.
Different kinds of bereavement
In general, death of a child is the most difficult kind of loss, and bereaved family members are at elevated risk for depression and anxiety for close to a decade after the loss. In addition these parents are at risk for a range of physical illnesses.
Fulton (1970) differentiated grief into two different levels: high-grief death and low-grief death. In the high-grief death, the death of a person is unexpected, while in the low-grief death, the death of the person is expected.
And we all need to be reminded that staying comfortable for too long, is slowly killing us. Life is outside of your comfort zone - not in an environment that is crushing your soul, or in the bottom of a bottle.
When your mother or father dies, that bond is torn. In response to this loss you may feel a multitude of strong emotions. Numbness, confusion, fear, guilt, relief and anger are just a few of the feelings you may have. Sometimes these emotions will follow each other within a short period of time.
Am I too old? While certain risks may rise with age, men continue to produce sperm throughout their lives and can father healthy children into old age.
Losing your mother at any age can be a traumatic experience. The loss may be sudden, or you may have witnessed a long decline in health. Your initial grief may be severe, followed by moments of sorrow even as time goes by. Sometimes, the effects of parental loss can affect your daily life, weeks or years later.
Intense sorrow, pain and rumination over the loss of your loved one. Focus on little else but your loved one's death. Extreme focus on reminders of the loved one or excessive avoidance of reminders. Intense and persistent longing or pining for the deceased. Problems accepting the death.