Dealing with grief is something which a lot of people struggle with. When you lose a parent, a child, a partner or a friend your life can be turned upside down. With every death comes a new wave of grief and sometimes you can never quite get over the sadness that you will feel. It doesn’t matter how you lose your loved one, suddenly, through a long-term illness or of old age – you will still need to grieve and get through this hard time. This is why we have come up with some advice on how you can help yourself or others deal with the death of a loved one. Keep reading if you would like to know more about this topic.
The First Steps
Sometimes before you even get to grieve, you are forced to make important decisions surrounding funeral arrangements. Although you may have strong feelings about where you would like to bury them or spread their ashes, you should first look at any requests that your loved one might have made. If they have left a will then you might find that it is easier to organise the funeral and make the hard decisions. When you are going through this organisation phase, you might feel distracted, but it is important not to lock up your grief. If there was no will made, then make sure to get the help of other family members so that you can support each other through this hard time. There is no reason why you should make all of these arrangements on your own so don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Handling the Will
It may be the case that your family member has left a will that indicates how they would like their property and money to be divided up. When it comes to the reading of the will, you should be prepared for any surprises. It is common for inheritance disputes to arise at this point as people are still feeling raw with emotion and grief. It is important to try to not let the grief take over at this point and to keep a level head as you deal with any arguments between family members. If you feel like something is not quite right with the will and would like to dispute it, contact an inheritance law firm like The Inheritance Experts who offer free initial consultations and work on a no win no fee basis, so you don’t need to worry about the expenditure. Try your best to make sure that you are not taken advantage of in this hard time and that you get what you are owed.
Talk to Someone
One of the most important things that you can do to help yourself cope with the death of a loved one is to talk to someone. It doesn’t particularly matter who this person is, it could be a friend, a partner or a sibling. Keeping your feelings bottled up is not an effective way of dealing with death. As hard as it might be talking about it, you’ll feel a release of emotion and you will feel a lot better than you would if you hid how you feel. It is okay to cry so don’t let that put you off confiding in someone that you trust.
If you are uncomfortable talking to someone that you know about the death of your loved one, why not speak to a therapist? This is not as scary as it sounds and many people all over the world use therapists to release how they feel. You can visit a therapist, have one come to you or even use an online version of a therapist to turn your feelings of grief into positive memories. You are not alone, and this is something that you should remember.
Stay Healthy
People grieve in different ways, but it is important that you don’t find yourself stuck in your house for the next couple of weeks. It is perfectly acceptable to take some time to yourself when you are grieving, no one is going to stop you from staying in for a while and ignoring the world. It is important, however, that you get yourself out of the house at some point. Eating healthy and exercising can really help with grief. This is especially important if you have a family to look after. They might be grieving as well and so having them watch you wallow in a dark room will not help them get through the pain. Take some time to grieve and then try your best to look after your family as you all help each other through this hard time.
Celebrate the Lives
When you are dealing with grief, you shouldn’t focus on the negatives of death and how they are no longer in your life. If your loved one has had a positive impact on your life, then you should try your best to celebrate it. There are lots of ways to do this and you don’t need to throw a big party. One way that you can celebrate someone’s life is by simply sharing stories with friends or family members. You can laugh together about the good times that they brought you and take some time to think about how they changed your life for the better. Celebrating life is important and can really help with the entire process of grieving.
Help Others
It is very unlikely that the death of your loved one will only have affected you. This is something that you need to remember when you are coping with the grief. Talking to your friends and family can not only help you get through this hard time, but it can really help them. Talking to children is very important as they might not even understand the idea of death and what it means. You’ll need to help them get to grips with what has happened and explain to them that everything is going to be okay. It is important to grieve but you should also try not to be too selfish. If you have one parent that has died, then make sure to look out for your other parent who is now left without their life partner. Remember to check up on them to see if they are okay and encourage them to open up about how they are feeling. Helping others can help you get through your grief so make sure to try your best.
Final Thoughts
If you are struggling with the death of a loved one, make sure to take some time to deal with it properly. Make sure to talk to someone that will help you through the situation and you’ll be able to feel the release of emotion when you do. It is important that you stay healthy when you are going through this time as lying about will only make you feel worse in the long run. Why not take some time to go for a walk to clear your head? You could even distract yourself for an hour or two by cooking a nice meal for your family or going to the gym. Make sure to look after yourself and your family and get any advice that you need to deal with the grief properly!
