Someone you love has died. You feel overwhelmed, numb, isolated, alone, or scared.
Breathe. Human beings are naturally resilient. You are resilient! You will get through this. Your grief will not always be this intense. Eventually your heart will grow to enable you to learn to live with your loss and once again experience joy. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself to feel grief. And know that you are not alone.
But what can you do to help cope? Here are 6 tips to help you learn how to cope, comfort yourself, and allow others to help:
Believe in your yourself
Take care of yourself physically
Ask for help planning the service
Be courageous, share your needs
Find joy and laugh
Be mindful
1. Believe in yourself
Grief can be debilitating. Your life seems to stop. But know that this is not permanent. Your grief will not always be this intense. Be patient with yourself and give yourself the freedom to grieve in your own way, to find your new normal, and learn to live with your loss. You will get through this!
2. Take care of yourself physically
Grief disrupts your routines. If you are having trouble sleeping, see a doctor and obtain a prescription to help you sleep. In order to process your grief and allow your mind and body to heal, you need to look after yourself physically by getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy, and exercising regularly.
3. Ask for help planning the service
Enlist help writing the obituary and planning the service. The obituary helps share the news of your loss and will expand your community of support. A service, be it a celebration of life or funeral, allows your community to support you and to commemorate your loved one's life.
4. Be courageous, share your needs
Sometimes people just need to be told how they can help you. Communicate your needs and be specific with your preferences. Be proactive and make a plan to have support for things that you know will be difficult.
5. Find joy and laugh
Make time for what is important to you. Do things that you find joy in, that make you laugh, and make you happy. Joy and laughter will help you cope with your grief.
6. Be mindful
Your mindset sets your reality. Each night write down three things for which you are grateful, for that day. Each morning, read what you wrote down the night before. Journaling helps train your brain to notice the positivity and opportunity around you.
I am sorry for your loss. I hope this helps in some small way.
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