Coping With a Loss (from: ACS :: Coping With a Loss)
Ideally, the bereaved person will work through the process of grieving. With time and support, they will accept and make sense of the loss, experience the pain, and adapt to a new life and identity.
If you or someone you know has lost a loved one, the following suggestions may help you cope with the loss:
Ideally, the bereaved person will work through the process of grieving. With time and support, they will accept and make sense of the loss, experience the pain, and adapt to a new life and identity.
If you or someone you know has lost a loved one, the following suggestions may help you cope with the loss:
- Let yourself feel the pain and all the other emotions as well. Don't tell yourself how to feel or let others tell you how you should feel.
- Be patient with the process. Don't pressure yourself with expectations. Accept that you need to experience your pain, your emotions, and your own way of healing -- all in your own time. Don't judge your emotions or compare yourself to others. Remember that no one else can tell you how you should mourn and when to stop.
- Express your feelings. Let yourself cry. Both are needed for healing.
- Get support. Talk about your loss, your memories, and your experience of the life and death of your loved one. Do not think you are protecting your family and friends by not expressing your sadness. Ask others for what you need. Find and talk to others who have lost a loved one.
- Try to maintain your normal lifestyle. Avoid major life changes (for example, moving, changing jobs, changing important relationships) within the first year of bereavement. This will allow you to keep your roots and some sense of security.
- Take care of yourself: eat well and exercise. Physical activity is a good way to release tension. Allow yourself small physical pleasures that help you renew yourself, like hot baths, naps, and favorite foods.
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol or using other drugs. This can harm your body as well as dull your emotions. It is likely to slow your recovery and may cause new problems.
- Forgive yourself for all the things you said or didn't say or do. Compassion and forgiveness for yourself and others is important in healing.
- Give yourself a break from grief. Although you must work through grief, you do not need to focus on it all the time. It is healthy to find distractions like going to a movie, dinner, or a ball game; reading a good book; listening to music; or getting a massage or manicure.
- Prepare for holidays and anniversaries knowing that strong feelings may come back. Decide if you want to keep certain traditions or create new ones. Plan in advance how you want to spend your time and with whom. Do something to honor the memory of your loved one.
- Join a bereavement support group. Other people can encourage, guide, and comfort you. They can also offer practical suggestions and information, and help you feel less alone. If you can't find a group near you, online groups may be helpful.
- When you feel ready, do something creative. Some options include:
- write a letter to the person who died to say everything you wish you could say to them
- start keeping a journal
- make a scrapbook
- paint pictures
- plant flowers or trees
- involve yourself in a cause or activity that the deceased loved
