877 - ADDICTED Call our Addicted.com Lifeline 24 hours a day - 7 days a week

The best hope for your journey through recovery...

The best hope for your journey through recovery...

Login | Register
Visit Riverside Center for Behavioral Medicine
Forums Home » Grief and Loss »

How do you react to hearing bad news?

How do you react to hearing bad news?
2/3/2008 5:16:00 PM latifa
34 Posts latifa's Avatar
How do you react when you hear bad news that someone has died or are suffering from a severe illness. My friend has had news that her mother has cancer and she just can not cry, shes hit the bottle and I know this is her way of coping with the news. I am terrible when hearing bad news, I seem to just laugh mainly from shock, I know everyone reacts differently some break down and cry, some show no emotion - what is yours?
Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
2/7/2008 2:24:51 PM Aries
186 Posts Aries's Avatar
Well, with me lacking a sense of empathy for some reason, it hardly hits me at all. I don't know why I lack empathy, I just do.

It's the main reason I rarely attend funerals, people always think of me as a dickhead for not crying my eyes out. Well EXCUSE ME because I'm a little different.
Flagrant abuser of Murphy''s Law
Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
2/7/2008 4:20:45 PM princess2008
97 Posts princess2008's Avatar
Everyone deals with things differently and I am pretty much the same, I tend to laugh when I hear bad news and it then takes a very long time to actually cry, even when my nan passed away with Leukamia it took years before I actually cried and reacted to her death.
Living the Dream... Discuss all Aspects of Parenting and Pregnancy at www.precious-babes.com
Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
2/15/2008 2:05:09 PM gcotie
7 Posts gcotie's Avatar
If its really bad news I cant cry, I'll cry about it after a few days once the shock is gone. But I wont eat at all, I wont be able to smile even though I am normally a cheerful person. And I cant sleep at all.
RE: How do you react to hearing bad news?
3/21/2008 3:31:41 PM sam
11 Posts sam's Avatar
I cant stop crying when I hear bad news. I keep praying night and day and eating is impossible.
RE: How do you react to hearing bad news?
3/26/2008 9:21:49 AM MJohnson
6 Posts MJohnson's Avatar
I don't react hardly at all, mostly I sit there very quiet and self-absorbed.  My mind starts racing and I'll start getting really depressed.  Once I start talking about then, then I'll realize the severity of the situation and become sad about it and then maybe cry about it a few days later. 
RE: How do you react to hearing bad news?
5/2/2008 2:35:57 PM LarryKing12
39 Posts LarryKing12's Avatar
I like being alone instantly. I hate talking to people and I cant push myself to be around people.
RE: How do you react to hearing bad news?
5/5/2008 2:28:46 PM jezzikalove
6 Posts jezzikalove's Avatar
I don't like talking about it, if I do I'll mostly lie about how I feel.  I'm not a very open person when it comes to my emotions, which is hard for some people. 
RE: How do you react to hearing bad news?
5/8/2008 12:20:24 PM cowboy44
34 Posts cowboy44's Avatar
I'm total opposite of all of you. I cry about it right away and go crazy and hit things. And I'll go to one person I can trust and just try to get them to make things better. Even though they cant their words do help a bit.
RE: Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
9/5/2008 2:55:24 PM jbear09
30 Posts jbear09's Avatar
I start coming up with ways in my head how it couldn't be true. Like if I was told my friend was in an accident, I'd start thinking that no another person borrowed her car and theyre the ones taht got into an accident, or that they're fine shes gonna wake up in a little bit doctors just dont want to tell the truth right now. I just keep coming up with excuses.
RE: Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
9/8/2008 12:43:38 PM angelwings2
9 Posts angelwings2's Avatar
I have noticed lately for me when I hear bad news I'm always in denial about it. I make myself believe that it isn't or hasn't happened. Then after a week has gone by and I absorb what has happened I get sad and take out my anger on others. I know this isn't healthy at all. I'm usually in too much shock to cry, but when I see that person and they start talking about it I lose it. In the past though I usually cried instantly and felt completely overwhelmed by the situation.
RE: Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
9/9/2008 11:41:12 AM JC
30 Posts JC's Avatar
I try to not think about it at all. I go on with my life normally and then after a while it hits me and Ill geel lke my whole world is crashing down and at that point I really dont know what to do.
RE: Re: How do you react to hearing bad news?
10/7/2008 3:04:12 PM Jayjay
15 Posts Jayjay's Avatar
Aries said: Well, with me lacking a sense of empathy for some reason, it hardly hits me at all. I don't know why I lack empathy, I just do.

It's the main reason I rarely attend funerals, people always think of me as a dickhead for not crying my eyes out. Well EXCUSE ME because I'm a little different.

I wish I was like you!!!
Forums Home » Grief and Loss »

How do you react to hearing bad news?

Visit April Benson