How to Cope with Grief

Sometimes it is hard to accept and rationalize death. For those who believe in God, they may even question his very existence when a loved one dies. We are left lonely, devastated and questioning. It is strange how we imagine the afterlife and try to assure ourselves of a reunion with a husband, a daughter, a wife, old friends and family. For some, who have been through extreme grief and know loss intimitely, when death knocks on their door again, the same old journey may have to be travelled again.

When someone dies it can feel impossible to understand. It does not matter at what age your loved ones depart, it hurts. So, how do we cope with grief?
Following a bereavment, there is a period where you have to allow yourself to feel the pain of loss, wallow and feed off your memories and imprint them firmly into your brain. You don't want to forget a single thing, the sound of a voice, the smell of a person, the shape, their facial features and their smile. There is a very real fear of forgetting and you must allow yourself time to grieve your loss. Take out old pictures and memorabilia and allow yourself time to remember. This really hurts however it is a stage that you should allow yourself to experience in order to move forward.

There is no better healing that to allow the bereved to talk about a lost loved one, to acknowledge their pain, their loss and to remember with them. A bereved person knows that they will never forget so it is nice to take time and not ignore their inner turmoil. Acknolodge their pain with them, allow them time to talk about their departed loved one and never ignore their loss. Express your sympathy and listen to how many people the departed person touched in their lives.