Unfortunately, loss is a very sad part of life. It affects everyone, however, you can never quite prepare yourself for losing a loved one even if it is expected. There is no quick fix to bereavement, and learning to accept what you’ve lost is a long, painful, and arduous journey but it does become easier with time, and with the more coping strategies you feel ready to adopt. Accept help where you feel you need it, but also reject it if where you don’t. This is your grieving process, and you will grieve in such a way that is most appropriate and helpful for you.
Celebrate Their Life
Losing someone is the worst feeling and it’s very easy to focus on who you’ve lost and what you’ll never get back. However, it’s also crucial to remind yourself of all the happy memories you and your loved one shared, how happy they made you and how they lived their life. Understand that they were adored by their family and how they’re now at peace.
Getting funeral preparations underway might be something far from your mind right now, but they do need to get sorted. Invite your family to assist you in getting things prepared, so decide upon the venue, their place of rest, the range of headstone prices, the wake, and the speeches for example. Push on with these plans as pragmatically as you can so that you can then relax and think about when you can visit them peacefully in the future.
Don’t Be Afraid To Say No
If you’re not yet ready to begin meeting up with friends, and falling back into your day-by-day week-by-week routine then don’t be afraid to politely excuse yourself from plans and explain that you’re not yet up to it. You will be grateful for plans and distraction when the time comes, but if that’s not yet now, then don’t feel guilty about not attending events.
Don’t Put Pressure On Yourself
Quickly accept that grief can have a very different effect on different people. There is no one way to grieve, and no right or wrong way. Grief is personal, and you will find your own ways to try and cope with losing a loved one. There is no one size fits all, and grieving will be a journey to acceptance, understanding, and learning. You may not ever fully “recover” after losing someone, however coping mechanisms allow you to get on with the rest of your life in such a way that makes day-to-day life easier and manageable.
Don’t put pressure on yourself to get back to work too quickly, to agree to see people, or even to be “over” the death of someone. Accept that you’ll feel better when you feel better, so resist the urge to stay constantly busy.
Keep Some Routine
Bereavement can make you feel terribly alone and isolated, and although it’s crucial to know that you have a large network of people around you who love and care for you, you might not feel up to getting back into your usual routine, and that’s fine.
If you’re at home or not quite able to venture far from home, then remember to stick to some sort of healthy routine to ensure that you’re eating well, drinking enough fresh water, getting an adequate night’s sleep and interacting with others (you can start in small doses if you’re not feeling ready to socialize).
To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.
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