What Causes Grief?

Grief is most well known for being caused when a person experiences loss, trauma, or disaster. As one’s mind works to process the pain associated with these events, they will find themselves experiencing a wide variety of emotions, thoughts, and feelings. This means that there is a multitude of different situations that can cause a person to experience grief. Grief is most commonly associated with the death of a loved one, but there are many other situations that can cause a person to grieve, like:

• Experiencing the loss of a relationship. Whether romantic, platonic, or familial, it is normal to feel grief when a relationship ends.
• Job loss. A person’s job becomes a part of their daily routine. They form relationships with their coworkers, depend on their pay to live their current lifestyle, and get used to their work schedule. When that routine is gone, one can find themselves experiencing grief.
• Retirement. As we said earlier, one’s work becomes a significant part of their everyday life. Retirement is a huge change and can feel like a loss to some people, leading them to grieve.
• Moving to a new area. Our homes are associated with many memories, relationships, and a feeling of comfort. While moving to a new place can certainly be exciting, it is perfectly normal to grieve one’s old home.
• Illness. Whether it is an illness being experienced by self or by a loved one, the loss of health can be a significant reason for a person’s grief. If one is personally experiencing illness, they must face the changes necessary in their lifestyle to accommodate it. If a loved one is experiencing illness, a person may experience fear of losing them or second-hand grief at watching them struggle.
• Death. Death is one of the situations that is most commonly associated with grief. Losing a loved one, whether a friend, family member, romantic partner, or pet, can be devastating.