Dennis Relojo-Howell

5 Helpful Ways to Cope with Death of a Loved One

Cite This
Dennis Relojo-Howell, (2021, August 18). 5 Helpful Ways to Cope with Death of a Loved One. Psychreg on Positivity & Lifestyle. https://www.psychreg.org/helpful-ways-cope-death-loved-one/
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Death is a moment when we say goodbye. However, this moment is not the time when all the emotions you have about that person are gone forever. There are a lot of things we think about when that happens. 

We usually think about all the things we miss about that person and whether there are some things we didn’t say. The loss of a loved person can be too much to cope with for some people. The global pandemic of COVID-19 has made this much more present in our lives. 

In the last year and a half, more than 600,000 people have died in the US as a result of this. So, people require ways to cope with the loss of their loved ones. We are here to help. We will provide you with a couple of methods that can help you be stable during that time.

Prepare yourself

It doesn’t matter if someone died expectedly or unexpectedly. People close to that person will experience a roller-coaster of emotions. We are talking about emotions like anger, shock, sadness, and even guilt in some situations. 

After the first couple of hours, you will need to start thinking about preparing yourself for what’s to come. The pain will not simply go away. Plus, every person has their own pace when it comes to grief. 

For some people, it comes immediately, while some will start feeling it after a couple of days, even weeks. No matter what is the situation, prepare yourself for what’s to come. If you would like to learn more about what you will experience, be sure to pay a visit to empathy.com.

Talk with others

Funerals and memorials truly represent a moment when all the family and friends can say goodbye for the last time. Also, we know this is a moment when attendees can talk about the person who passed away. 

Sadly, we can see that these cannot be as massive as they were before the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t organize something like this. Sometimes, it is enough to gather the closest family members and honour that person. 

But we can see that there is an alternative to these gatherings. You can organise an online memorial. Since we must keep our physical contacts at a bare minimum, we can use video chats to talk with people that have known the one that has died. We agree that this is not enough, but it is the best we can do now.

Preserve memories

When someone dies, all we have about that person is memories. Also, wishing that person is still there is the number one wish people have. For this reason, you should create a tribute that will remind you of that person whenever you think about it. 

For instance, you can plant a tree or a whole garden that will help you remember the good days. Furthermore, make a photo album where you will gather all of these memories. Having all of these in one place will make it easier for you.

Whenever you feel you miss your loved one, you can look at some of these and relive these experiences. Last but not least, you can write a letter. In it, you can express all your thoughts and emotions, which will certainly help you overcome many of these struggles.

Counseling can help

If you experience psychological or physical symptoms of grief, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for professional help. We are talking about a traumatic experience, after all. By doing that, you will prevent all of these symptoms get worse in the future. 

The counsellor of your choice will guide you through all the stages of grief and ultimately help to help you overcome. If needed, a professional can prescribe some medications that can help you go through this trauma a little easier. Before you opt for this method, be sure to learn more about therapy for grief.

Return to regular routines

In a lot of cases, the loss of a loved person will be almost unbearable. However, you will need to gather all your strength and continue. You can be sure that your loved one would like you to do exactly that. 

Sure, there are a lot of other people who count on you for a lot of things, especially if you have children. Don’t let yourself be caught too much in grief. Not caring about others in your life would be a mistake. Returning to your regular routines and grieve at the same time is, in fact, possible. 

Naturally, this is just one of those situations when you will break. Gathering yourself up and continuing requires strength and courage. You will need to continue working and supporting your family during these hard times.

Takeaway

Nobody said that coping with the death of a close one is going to be easy. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest your best efforts into overcoming this problem. Here, you can take a look at a couple of methods that will help you do that.


Dennis Relojo-Howell is the managing director of Psychreg.

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