Stages of grief and loss

I voted tonight in our local election.  My civic-minded twenty year old was really excited to drag me along to the polls, although I did not care to participate at all.  I shared with her my feelings of apathy and depression and she reminded me there were several stages to grief and loss.  She had the insight to name all the stages and tell me where I was in those stages - depression.  She reminded me that depression was the stage right before the feelings of acceptance and with that feeling of acceptance I would be free and be myself again.  My daughter is special in many ways but I did not expect this moment of clarity from her tonight.  I asked her if it was, indeed, possible to live through a situational depression like this and she responded "I do it frequently".  So funny... and not.  I thought I had left that twenty-something turmoil and drama behind many years ago and now I find myself struggling with it once again.  Maybe you never get too old for turmoil but it becomes less frequent.  I thank the LORD for that!

I did some research on the stages of grief and loss:
Shock and Denial:  This denial protects you from an overload of pain all at once.  It is for your own good.
Pain and Guilt:  Although the pain is real and intense, it is important to allow yourself to feel it and not deny, avoid, or mask this pain with alcohol or drugs.  It is not uncommon to have guilt or remorse about things you did or didn't do.  During this time life feels especially chaotic and scary.
Anger and Bargaining:   This anger can be directed at anyone.  It can damage your relationships.  Be careful with these emotions.  Along with this anger comes the bargaining in vain with any "powers that be" in order to escape your pain. 
Depression, Reflection, Loneliness:  Just when your friends may think you should be "getting over it", a period of sad reflection may overwhelm you. Do not be "talked out of it" by well-meaning outsiders. Encouragement from others is not helpful to you during this stage of grieving.

During this time, you may finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, and reflect on memories of the past. You may sense feelings of emptiness or despair. 

The Upward Turn:  The beginning of acceptance.  You have less physical symptoms and you are beginning the healing.

Reconstruction and Working Through:  The fog lifts and you begin developing practical solutions to the problems and challenges before you.  Your life will begin to knit back together.

Acceptance and Hope:  This does not mean instant happiness but you are fully living at this point and will be able to accept and deal with life as it is.

My daughter was wise, as was the advise of a dear friend recently:  You may feel a bit of all these emotions in any given day.  Don't try to define what you think you should be feeling, but feel what it is so you can move past it.  There is no direct path from the shock of learning the news to the recovery from that news.  The road to recovery from being laid off is filled with twists and hair-pin turns.  You may think one day you are past a stage, only to have it consume you the next day. 

Allow yourself to feel what you are feeling, share what you can share with those you trust and those strong enough to support you, don't lash out and burn your bridges, and have patience.  A little faith doesn't hurt a darn thing either.  In as much as you can give to your "higher power", give it away.