Losing a loved one is never easy. While you no doubt have many friends and family surrounding you to give you support during this difficult time, they can only do so much. At some point, even they have to return to their normal lives, leaving you to face your grief alone.

That’s why we at Dils Funeral Services offer a complimentary bereavement support service for all our customers. We know from our extensive experience that the grief of losing a loved one often only truly sets in a few weeks after the funeral.

The days leading up to the funeral are often very busy, and you hardly have time to process your grief. However, once the hubbub surrounding the funeral is over and your friends and family return one by one to their lives, things gradually become quieter until, eventually, you’re faced with the mundanity of everyday life but without the person you lost.

At this point, for most people, the grief can suddenly fall upon you with the weight of a thousand crushing bricks. It is at this point that we know you need someone to turn to, someone to talk to, someone who can help you process the pain and the questions that are running through your mind.

Stages Of Grief

There are seven stages of grief you might go through, and it’s common to flit back and forth between them. You might not experience these in exact linear order, nor is there a specific timeframe for each phase. However, we can be there to help you move through them so you can find acceptance and peace, so you go on having hope for the future.

  1. Shock And Refusal To Accept

When it first happens, it can be hard to accept. The shock often numbs a person for a while. You feel like it can’t be real. Maybe it’s a dream or someone made a mistake. It’s an irrational but totally natural response.

  1. Pain And Feeling Guilty

Once the numbness of the shock wears off, the pain comes. Along with it are feelings that you might somehow be responsible or that you should’ve done things differently.

  1. Anger And Looking For The Upside

The frustration that you can’t change what happened often makes one angry. It seems unfair. You might be angry with God, with the person who died for abandoning you, with yourself, or anyone you might feel fit to blame. You start trying to rationalise the loss by trying to see the upside.

  1. Loneliness And Depression

This usually hits after the funeral, when you’re alone and things are quiet. It can be a very difficult phase to work through, but it’s necessary to confront it so you can move on. This is the stage where you need counsel and support the most.

  1. A Turn For The Better

Usually, after processing some of the depression and loneliness, people start doing better. They see the upside to life again and start reconnecting with friends and family.

  1. Rebuilding

After the upward turn, it’s time to rebuild and face the new future. You’ve started to embrace the change and are no longer fighting it in your heart.

  1. Finding Acceptance

This is where we want you to get to: A point where the loss is accepted and you are able to live in the present and for the future without dwelling on the past. You can accept what has happened and move on with strength and courage.

At Dils Funeral Services, our bereavement support service is just one of many supportive functions we offer to help you process the passing of a loved one in the best way possible. Contact us now to let us walk by your side. You don’t have to do it alone!