Positively handling any loss is essential for your mental health as you come to accept that reality. The death of a family member or friend, specifically, is a complex journey through the five stages of grief. Furthermore, it’s completely normal to struggle when experiencing these emotions. Here are four healthy ways to deal with losing a loved one.
Table of Contents
Allow Yourself To Grieve
If the loss of a loved one is recent, it’s natural to feel emotions of shock, sadness, fear, and anger. Promote a mental-health-conscious way of grieving and allow yourself time to deal with these unpleasant feelings properly. Don’t rush yourself in the process; instead, recognize that you feel this way because you care so deeply for this person.
Remember, no one can tell you how to grieve. Accept your loss in a way that is fitting for you.
Process Your Emotions With Others
Lean on family members and close friends when managing death. It’s best to avoid bottling up your emotions and prolonging the grieving process by inviting others to offer their support. This method involves having trust in those around you that they will understand what you are going through.
It’s totally normal to feel uncomfortable when being open, but vulnerability is healthy and rewarding. Additionally, it’s vitally important as a parent that you remain honest when conveying death to a child. Processing grief with a child is educational for them and helpful towards your personal emotional journey.
Think of Your Loved One as They Lived
Don’t allow recency bias to negatively impact how you remember the deceased. Honor your loved ones by thinking of all the fantastic memories you shared with them. An easy way to accomplish this is by writing out these moments in a journal.
Share these stories with others; happy and funny memories lessen feelings of grief amongst you and others impacted by the loss. We all prefer that others remember us for the good times we had during our time together with loved ones.
Continue Your Traditions
Did you and your recently lost loved one have an impactful tradition, such as a favorite restaurant you ate at regularly or a television show you never missed? While it is challenging to put yourself in situations that conjure up shared memories of the deceased, continue to practice those customs.
Involving others in those rituals, such as your friends or children, is one of many healthy ways to deal with losing a loved one. Create new memories that both honor those lost and bring you closer with those remaining in your life.
Death is a harsh reality that has no precise method for accepting. Grieving is subjective to each individual; don’t rush the process. Hopefully, these tips for dealing with loss in a healthy manner aids you in this difficult time.
