Grief is a natural reaction to loss. The loss may be due to the death of a loved one, the ending of an important relationship, job loss, loss through theft or the loss of independence through disability. People may display grief in a combination of two ways: instrumental grieving – involves controlling or minimizing emotional expression, and intuitive grieving – involves sharing feelings, exploring the lost relationship, and considering mortality. Factors that influence how a person experiences grief include age, gender, personality, the relationship with the person who died, the circumstances of the death, the losses previously experienced, cultural background, and one’s spiritual view of death. The emotions and symptoms of grief may include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, despair, irritability, numbness, difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, physical problems, or illness. There are seven stages of grief, although not everyone experiences all stages and they may not experience the stages in this order. Stage 1: Denial – pretending the loss or change isn’t happening to help numb the intensity of the situation; Stage 2: Anger – to mask the effect of emotions and pain. It may be directed at oneself, inanimate objects, or other people, such as the person who died, an ex, or an old boss; Stage 3: Bargaining – seeking ways to affect the outcome of an event in order to postpone the sadness, confusion, or hurt; Stage 4: Depression – a “quiet” stage of grief that may involve feeling feel foggy, heavy, confused, stuck and unable to move past the grief; Stage 5: The upward turn – where the stages of anger and pain die down, and the individual is left in a more calm and relaxed state; Stage 6: Reconstruction – the process of putting one's life back to normal; Stage 7: Acceptance & hope – involves coming to an understanding of what the grief means in one's life going forward. When dealing with grief, it is recommended to open up to friends and family about feelings, join a support group, engage in physical activity and maintain a healthy diet to take care of physical health, and practice relaxation & meditation techniques.