Dealing With the Loss of a Loved One
Collaborative Post
Dealing with the death of a loved one is one of the hardest experiences in life. Obviously, you have the emotional side to process and this can be incredibly difficult and is very rarely linear. In addition to this, you then have all of the practicalities to manage and this can make the emotional impact even greater. It will never be easy, but here are a few tips that will hopefully make the difficult processes a bit more manageable.
Sorting Their Property
One of the hardest parts of dealing with the death of a loved one is dealing with their property. This is because this can be a complex process, plus you will be going through their life and exposed to constant reminders. Having close family members or friends to do this with can make the process much easier and you might find the experience to be bittersweet as you can reflect and share stories. Valuable property and assets will require legal action – if eligible for probate, it is recommended that you enlist the help of a specialist solicitor to help.
Funeral Arranging
One of the most emotionally challenging tasks – but also one of the most important – is arranging the funeral. It is helpful, if you are able to, to share the responsibility with others so that you are not overloaded and so that you do not feel all the pressure of arranging the right kind of funeral. You should also find a funeral company that you feel comfortable with, which can make a big difference and help you to feel supported during this challenging time.
Talk
One of the most important things to do while grieving is to talk – bottling up your feelings will only make matters worse and could do long-term damage to your mental health. Talking about your feelings can be cathartic and is key for achieving closure and coming to terms with the death. Friends and family can be a tremendous source of strength in these times, so you should lean on them and support one another. You should also seek professional support if you feel that you need it and look to grief support groups – it can be of great help to talk with others that are also grieving and at different stages along the path.
Look After Yourself
It is hard, but you also need to look after yourself during this time as neglecting your health will only make matters worse. You should try to eat 3 meals a day, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. You also need to avoid negative behaviours like drinking too much alcohol or binge eating. You do need to let yourself grieve and not pretend that everything is fine, but you also need to make sure that you look after yourself.
Hopefully, these points will be useful and help to make the grieving process slightly easier.
Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash.
