5 Stages of Grief | Understanding Breakups, Divorce, Death and Loss

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Without understanding the 5 stages of grief, your time of loss will feel unpredictable and out of control. This video lesson with help you understand what to expect and how grief is universally processed by all. Also the loss of a relationship can be devastating. It is not unusual to see a person post-breakup going through a sort of "5 stages of grief." This video describes the stages and how they relate to the end of a relationship. Denial When you receive news you don't want, denial is one way to cope with possibly overwhelming emotions. Denial gives your heart time to adjust to the new situation -- it's sort of an emotional protectant. Anger In the anger phase, you may blame your partner for causing you pain, or for breaking up your family. The circumstances may seem very unfair, and you may even lash out at friends and family who want to be of support. Anger is a normal emotion -- it's what we do with it that can become destructive. Bargaining Bargaining can show up in different ways. You may literally try to bargain the breakup away -- promising your ex that things will be better, to give it one more try. Sometimes these promises can prove impossible to keep, but in the bargaining phase of breakup grief, it feels like anything is possible if you just get one more try. Depression Once you begin to really realize that the situation is not going to change, it's not unusual to feel sad and even hopeless. You may feel depressed, a lack of motivation or energy, and as if nothing can really make you happy. Acceptance Reaching a stage of acceptance doesn't mean you wake up one morning and everything is suddenly okay. It is more a matter of realizing the relationship is over, taking the lessons you learned and knowing that even though there still may be rough days ahead, you can make it through.