Short transcript of a brief Q&A with grief expert David Kessler describing common emotional responses to losing a spouse. Kessler lists the canonical grief stages — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance — and notes that acceptance can be especially difficult; he also mentions common physical symptoms (increased colds, fatigue).
What are common emotions after losing a spouse?
Common emotions after losing a spouse are certainly all the stages. The denial that this could be happening, the anger that the person who's most important to you is gone. The bargaining to try to get them back, the depression that that loved one is no longer with you. And acceptance can be very hard to find when it's that person that you spent so much time with. So you're going to have many different emotions.
Sometimes physical symptoms. You may just get more colds and flus. You may just feel really worn out. Dealing with the loss of a spouse is one of the hardest losses that we go through in life.
