5 Ways to Cope with a Loss
The pain of losing a loved one is a feeling that can be almost impossible to articulate. Loneliness and the feeling of being unable to cope is a natural reaction. As we go about our daily lives, there will always be triggers that make us think of a person who is no longer here and how much we wish they were still here. Grief is not an easy emotion to deal with and, to some extent, it will never completely go away. But that is healthy as you’ve lost someone you loved and they will always remain a part of you. There are, however, ways to make the grieving process easier.
Create an End-of-Life Checklist
While it may seem morbid in nature, having a plan in place for death makes life for loved ones much easier. If your loved one (or even yourself) are facing a terminal illness, a checklist of which decisions should be made takes the pressure away from others. To find out what it entails and to create a checklist, you can read an end of life planning checklist guide.
Acknowledge
It might seem easier to bottle everything up and continue while putting on a brave face for fear of looking weak or simply not wanting to talk about it. In the long term this will just build up inside, leading you to eventually blow up as the pressure from all the emotion looks for an escape route. Acknowledging how you feel, when you feel a certain way is the healthiest way to cope. If you feel sad, own that you feel sad. There’s no shame, and those who want to help will only know how you feel when you acknowledge it yourself.
Talk About It
Talking may seem cliché, but it helps. Articulating your thoughts and feelings will make you feel better. Keeping them inside only leads to them building up and this will, in the long term, cause more psychological damage. Talking means trying to describe how you feel and when you feel a certain way. This way you will be better able to understand how particular situations may trigger your feelings of grief and how you can manage them better in the future.
Write Down Your Feelings
If you don’t have someone readily available to talk to, writing down your feelings is the next best option. It is another form of emotional release and allows you to get your feelings out. It may be a good idea to keep a diary so you can compare how you feel day to day and look back on better days and see what you did to make that day easier. You can also write down your thoughts and feelings about the person you are mourning. After all, they are still there in your mind and you will not forget them. Writing down your feelings towards them or even writing a letter will help you to feel better.
Don’t Be Afraid to Grieve
You should never be afraid to grieve. It is a natural emotional process that everyone goes through at some point in their life. People are able to relate, and having people around you who can relate to how you feel will make you feel less alone. There’s no set time limit, either. It will take as long as it takes, putting pressure on yourself to get over a loss will make you feel worse because there will always be some sense of grief. Let your emotions go when and as needed; grief is not to be feared, rather it is a healthy process which occurs when we lose someone we love.
