The strange but piercing effect of grief associated with the loss of a pet.

I say "strange" in the title because of the underestimated effect losing a pet can have on you. You can go about your life encountering many people that have lost a pet, but not think twice about it, you do not react the same as you would say... hearing the news of another person's death. But as soon as you yourself experience the pain that comes with losing a pet you do not know how to react, you want to grieve, and you want to cry and get angry but deep down you know these emotions are associated with loss that is exponentially bigger than that of an animal... right?

This conflict of emotion causes one to question themselves, "It is only an animal, I should not be this upset, why do I feel this way?". But all this only leads to more frustration and anger, even trying to discuss it with friends makes you feel idiotic because you feel that the death of a pet does not justify your emotional output, causing the belief that others just do not understand. 

Now I say this with all sincerity, the path of a systematic recovery after the loss of a pet is not to question your emotions, not to get angry and annoyed or to feel silly for "overreacting", but to accept the loss. Regardless of where the grief originated, it is nonetheless grief, it is the feeling of intense sorrow and imbalanced emotions, and the only way to heal is to accept them and grieve and let time do the mending. It does not matter if you feel like you are overreacting because pets are in your life on a day to day basis, they become part of a routine similar to those of coming back home to a child or partner. When this routine is broken and the bond that is strengthened over many years is broken, it can strike you like a brick wall, very similar to the loss of a friend.  

When grief occurs it causes a mass of chemical reactions within the body, effecting the adrenal gland and other aspects of the body. This all aids in the creation of a chemical named cortisone. The presence of this chemical can decrease the integrity of the immune system causing a flood of illnesses. This is why feeling down can correlate with an increase in illness.  

So to anyone who has lost a pet recently, please take comfort in knowing that it will get better, the memory of them will not always be associated with sadness and grief but with the joy of their existence and knowing you were lucky enough to be a part of their life.