Top 10 things you can do to cope with the death of a loved one

Everyone has to deal with the death of a loved one at various times throughout their lives. It is one of the conditions that is commonly faced without training or education.

The loss of a loved one is made especially difficult to face because we live in a culture that denies death. Here are 10 things you can do as part of your grief journey that have worked for others over the years and may work for you.

1. Find someone you trust to talk about how the death is affecting you. Don’t keep your feelings to yourself and add to the stress you’re already under.

2. Be willing to listen and be open to others who have experienced similar loss and how they have coped. Choose those ideas that you think are appropriate for your use and let the rest go. You can learn a lot from others who have been there and done that.

3. Practice diverting your attention from your sadness and focusing on a diversion such as a fond memory of your loved one, gratitude for all you still have, or any topic of interest. To shift your attention, it will help if you walk to another room or do some other physical task. Switching attention is a fundamental skill that must be developed throughout life.

4. Allow yourself to express your emotions. Crying is a normal human response to loss. It has a purpose: to help you cope with the loss through emotional and physical release. If you can’t cry, write, paint or draw what you feel.

5. Start your new routines. With the absence of your loved one, you will have new tasks to fulfill. It’s a new life. Maybe grocery shopping, taking care of your house, car or apartment, maybe even eating at a different time, are different. Establishing these new routines early on is important in your complaint work.

6. Trust the mystery and the hidden. Lots of so called coincidences and synchronicities and in some cases special help dreams and visions can occur. look them up. Ask for them. They will come. they are normal. I tell every client I work with that there is nothing wrong with praying for a sign that their loved one is okay.

7. Take a daily stress break. For at least 20 minutes each day, find a quiet place, lie down, and put your feet up to rest. Listen to music or the sounds of nature.

8. Find out and grieve your associated losses. For every major loss there is usually a series of secondary losses. They could be financial or have to do with meaning, transportation, companionship, dreams of the future, sex, social interaction, and more, all of which are now altered. Some secondary losses will not occur for years (a graduation, anniversary, etc.). Determine these losses, talk about them, and grieve them.

9. Start looking for ways to help others even when you are grieving. This ancient piece of wisdom is well founded when seeking to give of your time and treasure to others, you are taking the focus off of yourself. Your love will heal and be returned.

10. Renew your spiritual beliefs. Many mourners find solace in prayer and being alone in nature to talk to their maker. Nature is great therapy and thinking about your faith and values ​​in beautiful surroundings can bring solace, new awareness and solace. It has long been known that the more you focus on a particular thing, the more you create. Create new insights from your spiritual beliefs and how it will allow them a higher place in your recovery process.