The stages of grief described here do not necessarily occur in sequence, and oftentimes a person can experience a stage several times. It's important to understand that the grief process is an individual experience without a deadline or timetable. The positive aspect for each stage is included.
Denial gives one time to discover inner strengths and obtain help and information from others.
Anxiety mobilizes and focuses energies needed for coping and changing attitudes and values.
Depression enables a person to work on issues of competence, value, and strength in the context of loss.
Anger helps the individual to look deeply at and restructure beliefs concerning fairness in the context of loss.
Guilt enables a person to re-examine one's sense of meaning, importance, and responsibility in the context of loss.
Acceptance occurs when one sees that while the family unit has changed, a new and inner self-confidence emerges.
-- The Stages of Grief 