The loss of a loved one is a difficult time for everyone. The hole it creates in one’s life feels like it may be a new permanent fixture. Indeed, you may not ever be able to truly get over the absence of someone. It shouldn’t be a factor that puts your life on a permanent hold, however. Coping with loss is a difficult thing, but it’s not impossible. If you’ve lost someone or you know someone suffering that loss, these tips can help you.
Joining the ceremony
It’s easy, at the time of mourning, to feel quite a bit of contempt surrounding funerals and memorials. The idea of a ceremony around someone’s death can feel hollow or false. They are anything but. The ceremonies formalise things, yes, but they are a part of accepting the loss and of gathering community. They allow us the opportunity to be public with our grief and to receive assurance that our grief is allowed, is justified.
http://www.wikihow.com/Plan-a-Memorial-Service
Understanding grief
The time after the loss of a loved one can feel ephemeral, like we are in a haze without explanation. The truth is that grief is common between all people how love. Pretending otherwise, that we don’t have to grieve, will only keep our pain with us for longer. Grief takes all kinds of forms. It isn’t just about crying and it doesn’t have a time limit. Learn to identify your grief and be okay with it. After that, you can cope with it all the better.
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief-loss/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm
Taking care of yourself
It’s all too common that personal health and focus on our own well-being can deteriorate when we are in mourning. Grief has a lot of identifiable signs that would be distressing in everyday life. However, it’s important to know when grief leads into more dangerous territory. There is a difference between sadness and depression. Your grief shouldn’t have to lead to bouts of serious anxiety. Be sure to keep an eye on your own health and don’t neglect looking after yourself. You might think it’s a sign of how much you care, but your own deterioration won’t be any good to anyone.
http://www.strawberrysqueeze.co.uk/guest-post-coping-anxiety/
Keep their memory alive
Feelings of bitterness and anger can be exacerbated by the idea that someone is gone without legacy. Keeping the memory of someone alive has benefits not only for them, but for you. Helping them put a stamp on the world can help us come to terms with the fact they are no longer physically with us because they are still present in spirit. There are all kinds of ways to do this. You can install a memorial plaque in their name. You could plant a tree for them. Even doing good deeds in their name helps create a legacy that moves you closer to acceptance.
http://www.signindustries.com/product-category/custom-memorial-plaques/
Don’t be afraid to rely on others
A lot of people think they need to put on a strong front for the others around them. If you are not alone in your grief, this only builds walls between you and the people who can help. Support one another in times of loss. Come together and share in each other’s processes and you will all heal sooner.