Surviving Grief

Guilt, anger, and sorrow are just a few of the emotions that you feel after losing a loved one. These emotions are among the whirlpool of emotional turmoil that control your mind, body, heart, and soul. You're grieving and no words can compensate for your loss, but you can survive.

Share memories-       

Getting over the loss of a loved one is a very difficult process. However, if you share memories of the good times, it will be easier to heal.

• Show home movies: One of the best ways to share memories is old home movies. Home movies of your loved one will bring back all the special moments and help you grieve but also laugh, live, and love.
• Have a remembrance celebration: Remembering your loved with a celebration will bring joy and peace to those who are grieving. Celebrating instead of hiding will help you heal faster so you can move forward.
• Allow yourself to celebrate: When you allow yourself to celebrate their memory, only the good will remain. Open your heart and soul to the good times, let loose the sadness, and celebrate with happiness.
• Recreate special memories: Photos and mementos recreate special memories of your loved one. One way to recreate special memories is to create a small memorial filled with a favorite picture and few special mementos that were important in the live of your loved one.
• Encourage others to share special memories: Sometimes because of grief, the memories of your loved one you have will get forgotten, so encourage others to share special memories. When others share memories, you have something to add to your collection, and you may also learn something different about your loved one.

Understand you are not alone-

When a loved one dies, you have to remember and understand you are not alone. It is easier to withdraw within yourself than to open up to others and ask for help. However, if you share your grief, it will be easier to recover.

• Utilize the support of others: During you time of grief, lean on others who have been there and are willing to lend a shoulder to cry on and just listen.
• Never give up: When your loved one dies, many painful thoughts may go through your mind, but you have to understand you are not alone and you should never give up. Talk to someone, cry, scream, and release all the anger and hurt.
• Depend on family: In times of sorrow, family is the most important people in your life. Let them comfort you, don't shut them out, and learn to depend on them for everything in your time of grief.
• Establish a support network: A good support network will help you understand how you feel and give you moral support as well as understanding.
• Rely on available resources: If you make use of all available resources, you will be able to get off the emotional roller-coaster.

 
Visualize your peace- 

After a loved one's death, finding peace will take a long time. Your emotions will drive you and everyone around you crazy. In order to get back on track, you have to visualize your peace.

• Visit people and places you love: When you visit the people and places you love, you have the opportunity to let go of your grief. You get the chance to live again and breathe life into your soul. Don't sit around feeling sorry for yourself, because if you do, grief will only fester.
• Invest in your happiness: It takes time and effort to be happy. When you start to invest in yourself , you invest in your happiness. Get out and do the things you love, invest in new hobbies, explore new places, and make new friends.
• Simplify your life: Throw away the complications that bog you down. Losing a loved one does not have to choke the life out of you. If you keep it simple, you can start to enjoy everyday things.
• Understand it is okay to grieve: It's okay to grief, but you cannot let grief control your life. You have to let go and learn to live again. Don't let sorrow and anger hang around too long. Get up and get out.
• Accept the loss of your loved one: It isn't easy to accept the loss of a loved one, but if you don't, you cannot grieve and if you cannot grief, you cannot begin to start living again.

Surviving grief may seem like the hardest thing you will ever do after a loved one dies, but if you don't learn how to survive, you cannot move forward with your life.