When I lost my sons, loss and grief became my constant companion. It was overwhelming and unpredictable. Irritability, overreaction, persistent illness were all signs of poor resilience that I experienced on my journey. Recognizing these symptoms was the first step towards building resilience. Knowing that my emotions were part of a normal process helped me see that I was not alone in my experiences.
I lived on a mountain and started comparing that mountain to my life as the losses and grief became insurmountable. The 5 stages of grief are denial, anger, depression, and acceptance, each stage of grief was a steppingstone towards resilience. Recognizing that grief was not linear, everything I felt, the grief, the anger, the whirlpool of emotions was Normal. Recognizing and believing this led to acceptance, which is the foundation of healing.
I learned that it was perfectly okay to move back and forth between the stages of grief. This was how I found resilience and strength in the most unlikely places.
With Warm Regards,
Dr. KD Wagner
