This post is paid advertising by Christman’s Funeral Home.

If you’re interested in reading more in depth about the five stages of grief, I would suggest you seek out books by two experts on the topic, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and David Kessler, both very knowledgeable and astute.

Now let’s learn a little about the five stages of grief, starting with the first one – Denial and Isolation. In this case, you have just experienced the loss of a loved one. Naturally it hits hard. Your world has just changed dramatically, and you suddenly find life both meaningless and overwhelming. You ask yourself, “How can life go on?” and denial takes over, as a defense against taking on more than you can handle.

Recognize that this feeling is more common that we think.

As you get through each day, questions arise, and you are able to cope with them a little at a time. Denial starts to fade and the reality of the fact that your life has truly changed has slowly replaced the original feelings you experienced.

Because of our professional experience, a good funeral director recognizes this and can refer you to professional grief counseling.

Read more from the Christman’s Chronicles.