Tips to Help Yourself In Times of Grief
The death of someone close to us leave us shocked with grief. We cannot understand how one minute this person was here and the next they are gone. The truth is that those we love are never truly gone. The body may have run its course, but the soul lives forever. Human beings have been cognizant of eternal life since the beginning of time. Every culture has its own traditions about death and reincarnation. The anxiety commonly felt about death in our culture is a result of a scientific schema which says that "if I don't see it, it's not there"
* Seek and Accept Support. You cannot travel this path alone. You need the support and care of others. Call on a trusted family member or friend, prayer group, or professional councilors.
* Find Role Models. You are not the first to travel the road of grief. Discover how others have coped with loss before you. This will provide you with a model to base your own healing on and remind you that you are not alone.
Read books or articles about grief recovery.
* Express Your Grief. Grief cannot stay hidden deep within you. The best way to work through grief is to let it out. Cry, scream, and yell if need to. Express your feelings through music, art, poetry, or journaling. Whether you express your grief with a safe person you trust or let it out in complete privacy, expressing your feelings is the only true way to honor your grief and begin to work through it.
* Get Involved in Something. Getting involved in work or some other activity you enjoy can keep you focused and offer a welcome distraction from your grief. If that activity is especially meaningful or helpful to others, you might find it also raises your spirits.
* Keep the Faith. Remember that intense grief doesn't last forever. One of my favorite sayings goes "Faith is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to go on when fear is present". Keep the faith that you will one day heal and be whole again.
* Create your own memorial service. Celebrate their lifetime accomplishments, values, and principles. Collect all available photos, videos etc. related with your dear one.
