Why Am I Already Grieving When My Loved One Is Alive?

Anticipatory grief is a chance of closure and personal growth which comes at the end of life. It is a chance to reconcile differences and heal the heart with forgiveness.

• Sadness and tearfulness, often triggered by any outside input.
• Fear of death and the loss, along with the life changes that may accompany the loss.
• Feeling of loneliness, as the person feeling anticipatory grief is unable to express it.
• Anger, both in the person dying as well as the person who is about to lose a loved one.
• The need to talk and vent out emotions.
• Guilt and Anxiety, especially survivor guilt.
• Intense emotional, physical and spiritual connection with the loved one.
• Difficulty in sleeping.
• Fear and concern for the children.
• Acceptance of the inevitability of death.

• Though anticipatory grief is a normal emotional process, if there is any difficulty in coping, one can seek the help of mental health professionals.
• Expressing oneself and letting out one’s emotions is extremely important, and it is dangerous to bottle them up.
• If you feel like letting go, make sure you continue to love the loved one, before and after the death, keeping the memory alive.