4 Ways To Help You Handle Grief After Loss

Losing a loved one is never easy, and while everyone handles grief in their own way, it’s important that you’re not trying to fight it or run from it. There are both healthy and unhealthy ways to process your feelings, and if you’re going to cope with your grief easier, you need to make sure you understand the difference. 

Grief can be overwhelming, and it’s only natural that you would do what you can to avoid feeling it, but that’s not going to help you in the long run. You need to find coping strategies that work for you, as well as make sure you get the support you need while you’re handling it.

Feel it in your own way

When you’re grieving, you might notice that your grief response isn’t the same as everyone else. Not everybody cries when feeling grief, and it’s important that you understand that that’s fine. You don’t have to grieve the same way that everyone else does, as long as you’re accepting your feelings for what they are, and not trying to shut them away. You shouldn’t feel guilt if you don’t cry, or react in the same way as others do - it’s important that you feel your grief in the way that’s right for you.

Don’t stop what you’re doing

The overwhelming feeling of grief might have you feeling like you need to stop or slow down, but it’s important that you don’t. Of course, it’s normal to take some time away from work to feel your grief, but coming to a complete stop is going to harm you in the long run. You need distractions, and you need to make sure all of the proceeding steps are taken properly. For example, organizing the funeral, checking cremation costs, and so on. These are important, they need to be done sooner than later, and someone has to be strong enough to get it done.

Accept support

Something that a lot of people struggle with when feeling grief is accepting support. You don’t need to be alone in your grief, and having the support of others can help you a lot. One of the most challenging parts of accepting support is allowing yourself to be vulnerable in front of others, but it’s an important part of feeling better. Don’t keep it bottled up, even if you speak to someone who is outside of your friends and family - like a therapist, or a support group, it’s healthier than trying to handle it on your own.

Take the time to remember

One of the harder parts of losing someone that you love is realizing that they’re no longer around, but that shouldn’t stop you from remembering them. Remembering your loved ones after they’ve passed can become a wonderful tradition to have with friends and family, that not only gives you a day to talk about them and reflect on who they were but to get closer to your friends and family.