I bet you've had some financial losses in the last five years or so. It seems like we all have, unfortunately. If you're newly into a financial crisis, such as seeing your retirement savings take a major loss, losing your house to foreclosure, or getting laid off from your job, you may recognize some of these emotional experiences:

• Sadness
• Anger
• Guilt/self-reproach
• Anxiety
• Loneliness
• Shock
• Yearning

You may have also experienced any of these thinking patterns or behaviors:

• Disbelief
• Confusion
• Preoccupation or rumination
• Sleep and/or appetite disturbances
• Absentmindedness
• Social withdrawal
• Crying
• Restlessness

If you see yourself in some or all of these feelings, thoughts and behaviors, I have news for you: You might be grieving. We're accustomed to thinking of grief as something that occurs only after a loved one dies. But the problem with this is that we might discount our feelings and not recognize them as grief when we lose something other than a loved one.