Change often pushes us to the edge of vulnerability – our weakest point, far out of our comfort zone. Yet right at that point also our door to  a better version of who we are  – stronger, more resilient and more empathetic, toward ourselves and toward others.

Change often makes me think about grief – grieving over  loss during the transition:  love, emotional comfort, memories, recognition, status, affirmation.

And the last 2 years have pushed many of us into a situation where the safety of our loved ones is being shaken, our secure jobs no longer feel secure, and our linear moving-up-the-ladder career path no longer exists.

Not being aware of 6 stages of grief can leave us forever stuck in the neutral zone of a transition – never really letting go and facing the unknown.

 Healthline has summarized 6 stages of grief** very nicely:

• Denial: defense mechanism is on and denying is part of helping you buy some time before facing the intensity of the situation.
• Anger: a mask that is hiding emotions and pain that you carry.
• Bargaining: “what if” to postpone sadness, confusion, hurt or sometimes to ease shame and blame
• Depression: an inevitable landing point of loss where you start to create room to proceed your emotions
• Acceptance: you accept what happened
• Finding meaning: find that sense of meaning amid the pain of grief. Find hope.

**Elizabeth Kubler Ross – aka Queen of Death – first identified 5 stages in her book “On Death and Dying” back in 1969. Then 50 years later, David Kessler introduces the sixth stage after suffering from the sudden death of his son.