Dealing with Grief

Losing a loved one, going through their service at a funeral home in Colonial Beach, VA, and the subsequent grief will never be easy. However, there are ways you can help ease the pain and help yourself heal. Use these ideas to soothe your pain and grief after the loss of a loved one:

• Take Care of Yourself – It’s easy to let self-care fall by the wayside when you’re grieving. However, you shouldn’t add physical ailments on top of your mental pain. Take care of yourself by eating regularly and healthfully, getting plenty of rest, exercising when you can, sharing your feelings with others, and allowing yourself to cry.
• Seek Support – Feelings of loneliness are very common after a loss. In fact, they’re natural. While it’s noble to make an effort to stand on your own during this difficult time, you don’t have to do it alone. In reality, it’s actually better to lean on others when you’re going through a loss. Try interacting with friends, family members, or other people in your community to remind yourself of the love, support, and positivity that surrounds you. If you can, fight the urge to isolate yourself. Even if you don’t want to talk about your grief, just spending time in silence with others can be helpful. If you’re not comfortable looking to friends or family for support, you can try a local support group.
• Seek Help from a Professional If Needed – Speaking with a mental health professional like therapist or counselor can be very helpful and comforting in a time of loss and grief. If you’re unsure if you need to speak with a professional, take a moment, to be honest with yourself and your situation. There is no shame in getting help.
• Watch out for Complicated Grief – Complicated grief is when you’re unable to move on after a loss. While grief does not have a fixed duration, it does generally ease with time. Complicated grief, however, involves prolonged and painful symptoms that prevent you from accepting the loss and living a normal life again. If you feel you might have complicated grief, seek help from a professional.
• Be Aware of Clinical Depression – It’s natural to feel depressed after a loss. In fact, many common symptoms of grief are the same as those of clinical depression. However, there is a difference between grief and clinical depression, and clinical depression does require professional help. Be on the watch for signs of clinical depression like your sadness does not subside over time, you feel hopeless or even suicidal, as though life will never get back to normal, you’ve pulled further and further away from your friends and family, and no grief-coping strategies seem to have worked for you.

Remember, just as no two people will grieve the same way, not all of these tips will help everyone with their grief. Do what works for you and what makes you feel healthy and happy, and that you’re moving towards healing. We are here to help if you have more questions about grief or Colonial Beach, VA funeral homes.