Grief: When a loved one dies, how to cope.

Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal experience, and everyone navigates it differently. There are many factors that can affect the grief process including how their loved one died or if their loved one’s death was sudden or unexpected. Here are some suggestions that may help you cope:

1. Allow Yourself to Grieve: Give yourself permission to feel your emotions, whether it’s sadness, anger, confusion, or even relief. It’s important to process your feelings. It is okay to have any and all of these feelings. For example, for many people who have lost a loved one to suicide, it is very normal to have feelings of sadness and anger towards the person who committed suicide. For family members who have acted as a caregiver for a terminally ill loved one, it is normal to have even some feelings of relief when the loved one passes away. Having these feelings doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you human.
2. Seek Support: Talk to friends, family, or support groups. Sharing your thoughts and emotions can help lighten your burden. There is a saying that “grief shared, is grief diminished.” When we talk to others about our grief we can feel supported and not so alone.
3. Remember and Celebrate: Find ways to honor your loved one, such as creating a memory book, planting a tree in their memory, or participating in activities they enjoyed.
4. Establish a Routine: Maintaining a daily routine can provide stability in a time of chaos. We are creatures of habit. Whether it is your cup of coffee every morning or your workout after work, when we fall off of our normal routine we can feel irritable or feel as if something is “off” and not right. Having a regular routine that we are used to provides a sense of stability and predictability in our life, especially during times of uncertainty and times where we may not have a lot of control in other areas of our life.
5. Engage in Healthy Activities: Exercise, eat well, and get enough sleep. Physical well-being can positively impact your mental health.
6. Consider Professional Help: If you find it difficult to cope, think about talking to a therapist or counselor who specializes in grief. There are several evidence-based treatment modalities that a therapist can use to help you process through your grief including cognitive behavioral therapy, eye-movement desensitization reprocessing, and cognitive processing therapy.
7. Be Patient with Yourself: Grieving takes time. Allow yourself to heal at your own pace without rushing.

Each person’s grieving process is unique, so try to find what works best for you. Taking care of yourself during this time is essential and reaching out to others whether it is a professional or a trusted loved-one can help with the healing process. If you feel you need to speak with someone who can help with this process, please contact us to request an appointment.