IS MY REACTION REALLY NORMAL?

QMy grandfather died last year after a long illness. Then my aunt, having had cancer. Last week a work colleague died suddenly. I’ve had similar responses to all – a little bit of sadness followed by getting back to normal. A co-worker was in floods of tears over our colleague’s death and I’m wondering what’s wrong with me – why didn’t I react the same?

Suzie says

AReactions to deaths can vary. It all depends on a range of things. It’s common for the first response to be numbness. But subsequent pain, sadness or even depression can depend on so many things. If you’ve had a loss before, and never mourned, you might be triggered into a strong response. After a long illness, you might have actually progressed through the process of grief by the time they pass away. Your response is common.