Dealing With Life After Loss

Grief, defined as the emotional suffering you feel when someone you love is taken away, is a natural response to loss. In most cases, the pain of that loss can be overwhelming, as it's common to experience a variety of unexpected and challenging emotions. In addition to feeling emotionally vulnerable, the grieving process can significantly disrupt your physical health, making it difficult to eat, sleep, or even think rationally. 

Yes, coping with the loss of someone you loved and cherished is one of life's biggest challenges. But finding healthy ways to cope with the unspeakable sadness that comes with grief is essential for you to ease the pain in time. Finding a healthy way to address and cope with loss is the best way to find new meaning and, over time, move on with your life.

 

Here are a few ways you can deal with your grief in a healthy and manageable way:

 

Accept and Acknowledge Your Grief

It's common for us to automatically say "I'm fine." or "I don't need any help." when someone asks you how you are doing or what you need. However, when it comes to coping with the loss of a loved one, it's okay to have moments or even days where you admit that you are NOT okay and that you DO need help. This is what it means to accept your grief. The American Psychological Association reminds us that every feeling is normal (sadness, anger, exhaustion) when it comes to handling grief. All of these feelings are not only normal, but it's important to recognize these emotions when you are feeling them. Over time, you will learn to move on from an unhealthy emotion once you define it.

 

Understand Grief Works in Cycles

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says that grief should be viewed as a cycle, not a linear line. That means that if you are reaching a point where you are feeling good and managing your grief, only to go back to feeling bad again, that is not a sign that you have relapsed or gotten worse. This is perfectly normal and how most people handle their grief. Grief is a series of loops, and it's natural and normal to come back to an emotional state you were in some time ago.

 

Find Ways to Communication

Teens Health says that talking to someone you trust about your loved one and what you are going through is a great way to deal with your personal grief. Even if you're not comfortable vocalizing your emotions with someone, there are still ways to process and communicate your pain. You may find that writing in a journal about the memories you have with the person you lost is a great way to express your feelings, while others may write songs or poems in memory of their loved one or make a photo box filled with meaningful pictures and mementos.

 

The pain of losing someone is impossible to describe. It's a feeling that never goes away. No one expects you to let go completely. But your health and wellbeing are important; that's why you need to find healthy ways to acknowledge your grief without letting it consume you. Following these simple steps is a productive way to deal with life after you lose someone close to you.

 

When you need extra help with managing your grief, you have friends at Trinity Memorial Gardens that understand the deep sorrow you are feeling. Trinity Memorial Gardens is a picturesque facility that combines a funeral home, chapel, crematory, and a cemetery. We are proud to be independently owned and operated, which gives us a better opportunity to provide a more personal and compassionate level of service for our families. The caring staff at Trinity Memorial Gardens is here to assist you with arrangements and provide pre-planning information for all walks of faith. 

 

We invite you to discover what has made Trinity Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery the ultimate provider of creating healing experiences in the community. Visit our website today to find out more information about how we can honor your loved ones' memory in the way they deserve.  

 

 

 

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Sources

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm

https://www.cancer.org/treatment/end-of-life-care/grief-and-loss/depression-and-complicated-grief.html

https://www.apa.org/topics/families/grief

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/end-of-life/in-depth/grief/art-20045340

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/coping-grief.html

https://www.mskcc.org/news/coping-grief-7-things-remember-when-dealing-loss