Coping with grief and loss isn’t easy and that’s why you may be here today wondering what you can do to deal with and overcome it. Be glad to know there are tips you can apply to your daily life that will help you get to a better place emotionally.
The following tips will give you some ideas for how you can work with your feelings and not let them get the best of you. Pace yourself and remember that everyone deals with grief differently and at their own pace. Instead of pushing your grief aside, face it head-on and know that you’re strong enough to manage it and move forward.
Learn about Grief
One tip to help you cope with grief and loss is to learn more about grief and the stages that come with it. The more you understand this complex response to loss, the better you may be able to work with it and take control of it. Study grief and understand what stage you’re in and that what you’re feeling and going through is normal and common. Dispel the myths around it so you realize that what you’re dealing with is real. Knowledge is power and you may learn that you’re either coping with it in a healthy manner or that you notice warning signs that you need more support.
Acknowledge Your Pain
Another tip to help you cope with grief and loss is to acknowledge your pain fully. Shying away from it or avoiding it may cause it to pop up later in your life in a self-destructive way. Sit with your grief and allow yourself to cry and be sad. It may be uncomfortable or hard but it’s moving you one step closer to healing and getting to a better place. Express yourself through music and art or yell or scream if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Let it all out in a healthy way and express your feelings so you can work through them.
Have A Proper Send Off
Your special person and loved one is now gone and they deserve a proper send off. Get involved in the funeral arrangements and announce visitation hours to friends and family members. It’s also a good time to sit down and reminisce and revisit all the fond memories you have with and of this person. Consider purchasing a cremation urn from Green Meadow Memorials to have as a keepsake and to have to remember the person by. This way they’ll always be in your home and a part of your life even though they’re not physically with you any longer.
Spend Time in Nature
Nature has a natural and powerful way of healing so it may be worth it to spend more time outside as you deal with grief and loss. Breathe in the fresh air and take notice of the beautiful sights and smells that surround you. Use it as a time to think about the person in more detail and how you’re feeling. Practice gratitude for what you have and all the good times you spent together as you walk or hike outdoors. It’s an excellent way to reduce your stress and clear your head and you’ll likely feel a lot better when you return home after spending time in nature.
Practice Daily Self-Care
It’s also important that you take good care of yourself as you grieve the loss of a loved one. Intense grief can cause you a strong and painful emotional response as well as physical reaction within your body. Practice daily self-care and stay on top of your health and wellness so it doesn’t begin to deteriorate because you’re sad. You’ll be able to cope better and feel like yourself and have energy when you exercise, eat nutritious foods, and get enough sleep each night. Find time for yourself and do what you love and engage in activities that allow you to feel relaxed. If you don’t take proper care of yourself then you risk your well-being suffering and having an even more difficult time coping with your grief and loss.
Open up to Others
You don’t have to and shouldn’t have to deal with grief and loss all by yourself. Therefore, be willing to open up to others and share about what you’re feeling and going through. Find people who you trust and can lean on for advice and comfort. Have candid conversations about how you’re doing and what’s on your mind. It’ll feel wonderful to get some of the stress and anxiety off your shoulders and out into the open. It may help to find a role model such as someone who’s been through grief in the past and can offer you some additional tips and pieces of advice as you heal. If it’s not enough to get support from friends and family then you may even want to consider seeking out professional help regarding your grief.
Fill Your Schedule
It’s healthy and a wise idea to stay busy even though you’re missing a loved one at this time. Fill your schedule with activities and events that put a smile on your face and keep your mind preoccupied for most of the day. It’s not that you shouldn’t think about the person but you may want to set aside time in your day to meditate and touch on your grief instead of allowing it to consume you. Don’t be afraid to laugh and have some fun because this will release happy chemicals in your brain and you’ll feel more equipped to handle your mix of emotions. Get back into your daily routine and schedule as soon as you feel ready and notice that it actually helps you cope with your grief and loss. It’s okay to get involved in a work project or personal hobby to help distract yourself from feeling sad all the time. You may even want to do something that you know was meaningful to the person you lost such as volunteering or helping others if that’s what they were passionate about.
Take One Day at A Time
You must pace yourself as you grieve and not rush the process. Take it one day at a time and practice mindfulness by staying present and in the moment. You can cope with grief and loss better when you don’t put pressure on yourself to do it quickly or in the right way. Remind yourself that intense grief won’t last forever and that time heals. Keep the faith, which is the willingness and courage to go on even when fear is present. The truth is that if you follow these tips and don’t force yourself to feel better fast then you will one day heal completely and feel like yourself again.
Spend Time with God
When I lost my youngest son, I was so broken but God reached into my darkness and spoke life to my spirit look up and find the LIGHT He whispered I renewed my mind daily with the truth contained in the Bible rather than listening to the world to tell me who I was and how I could heal.
Let the word of God wash over you, comforting and healing you day by day
Conclusion
These tips will help you not only understand your feelings and emotions better but also help you cope with grief in a positive way. Losing someone you love and you’re close with is never an easy situation. However, you have to stay strong and positive and not let it get you down for too long. The person would want to see you happy and thriving so stay the course and work through your feelings so you can come out of your grief with a bright and new outlook on life.
Be kind to yourself and go easy on yourself initially when you’re learning more about grief and exploring how it’s impacting you. Do what you need to do to maintain a clear head so you can continue to function optimally and cope with your grief healthily. And most importantly, let God heal you step by step. For He will do it. Isn’t that comforting?