Table of Contents
Loss of a loved one in your life is agreeably the most difficult and traumatic experience.
When you lose a loved one, you tend to sulk deep into the dungeons of darkness, and the colors of life fade away.
The loss of a loved one makes life so meaningless, and the world suddenly seems to be so barren.
Losing a loved one might even bring your life to a halt or make it disoriented.
Some of you must’ve gone through it, while others will go through this sad phase in life some time or the other.
That’s because death is something that will come to all of us, it’s just a matter of time.
I’m sorry if I’ve invoked some sad feelings in your heart or brought up some bad memories. I’ve dealt with losing a loved one when I lost my Mom a few years back, so I can relate to it.
But today, I want you to share your experiences to help those who haven’t faced the loss of a loved one in their life yet or aren’t able to get over it.
I want you to tell them how you think one should deal with death in the most sensible manner.
I understand your feeling that there’s no sensible way to deal with the loss of a loved one. But it makes sense to deal with such a situation and carry on with life.
Death is a very sensitive topic, which we often avoid.
Most of us are even scared to talk or read about death. I know of people who treat it as a bad omen to even think of the death of their loved ones.
However, no matter how much we pretend to forget and avoid the topic, the fact remains that death is a part of life, and we should try to understand it better.
“Although it’s difficult today to see beyond the sorrow, may looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow.” ~Author Unknown
Understanding Death
For most of us, death is the villain. It ruthlessly brings to an end a beautiful life that you’re living, mostly at inappropriate times.
Aren’t you are faced with the question why do people have to die? Or why is it that only your loved ones die, while so many others remain alive.
I heard this question from a few grownups, and even from my kids.
I told them that anything that comes “in” has to go “out”, any person that “enters” need to “exit”. Not clear?
Every event that starts comes to an end. Everything that takes birth has to die. Be it stories, movies, plants, insects, fish, animals, or even humans.
Death is a certainty or an event that is going to happen in everyone’s life for sure. No one has control over it, and death makes no distinction between your foes or friends.
I’m sorry if I scared you, but facing the truths of life will help you to live your life meaningfully. You need to face the fear to make your life easy.
Different Views on Death
There are so many different views on death and dealing with the loss of a loved one. Let me share a few of them with you.
- Those who believe in rebirths, think of death as the opportunity to continue living in some other form or live in some other world.
- Spiritual thinkers strongly hold the view that you’re a spiritual being having a human experience, and death is just like going back home.
- Those who’ve faith in God reason that death is the opportunity to be with Him.
- People who believe in karma consider death as the crucial time to receive rewards or punishments as per how you live your life.
- Some ancient civilizations and religions suggest that there’s life after death, and the story or movie doesn’t end at death. The body dies but the soul or spirit lives on.
- The soul remains connected with you and your negative reactions impact it in a negative way. So you should not mourn the death, but pray for your loved ones to have a good journey ahead!
However, whether there’s life after death or not, the loss of a loved one is a reason to remember the positive aspects of the person and the life lived by the person.
And, death is a time to reflect upon life in general.
“For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.” ~ Khalil Gibran
Why the Loss of a Loved One is Tough to Handle
When your loved one departs, all that you’re left with are the memories of the person. Most of the time, you might find it difficult to handle these memories.
Incidents, events, things, and people revive these memories and you tend to feel sad about the loss. You miss the person, and with time such memories become associated with sadness and pain.
This happens more so in cases when the loss of a loved one is unexpected and tragic. Your heart and mind aren’t ready and willing to accept this unfortunate event of life.
You tend to not understand the loss and keep blaming yourself, others, or the circumstances and find it difficult to come to terms with it. It seems so unjust and cruel.
You then harbor such painful thoughts and feelings for long periods and are unable to cope up with, or move forward in life.
This is why you need to take steps to learn about dealing with the stress of loss of a loved one with the help of some coping mechanisms.
“Love’s over brimming mystery joins death and life. It has filled my cup of pain with joy.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore
Coping with the Loss of a Loved One
Your loved one could be a family member, a friend, a colleague, someone in the neighborhood, or even your pet. They can be your parents, siblings, children, or spouse.
Loss of a loved one requires you to go through phases of grief to cope with your emotional upheaval and mental disturbance.
Though the coping process varies from person to person, here are some practical steps that you need to take when your loved one dies.
Accepting the death of a loved one
It is said in the ancient Indian scriptures that the place, time, and manner of your death is fixed the moment you take birth.
Even if it’s not, death is an event that cannot be changed and you’ve no option but to accept it. Death sometimes happens due to reasons beyond your understanding. Nevertheless, you need to accept it.
I had a tough time accepting my Mom’s death, even though I know she had cancer and her end was destined. But you tend to fight against all odds, and never want to lose hope. You keep trying right till the end!
People, who go in the denial mode, suffer more. Sometimes, denial is a part of the initial shock that the person receives on getting to know about the loss of a loved one.
There are all sorts of weird feelings you may come across and experience. Know that it is normal and common with all. Don’t be alarmed, just go through the process.
Acceptance does come gradually, and you need to give it time. Sometimes all understanding and logic fail when we are faced with an expected loss of a loved one.
But no matter how unreasonable the death of your dear one appears to you, you need to actively deal with the grief and accept the pain.
“We love our dear ones deeply and miss them when they leave us. But we know that the bond of love is greater than death.” ~ Harold Klemp
Embrace the change in your life
Your life may not function as normally as it used to before the loss of your loved one.
It is natural to experience a change in your lifestyle or daily routine in such cases. It is okay to feel what you’re feeling and try to find a reason for the change.
Life has its mysterious ways, the best you can do is to flow with it and experience the changes it puts you in.
The changes in your life may also depend on your relation and intimacy with the deceased, and whether he or she was a part or partner in your daily routine.
Initially, you may need to change your habits that involved your loved one so as to avoid the disturbing thoughts and feelings that remind you of them.
However, you cannot and should not completely avoid the pain that comes with the loss of a loved one.
“We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” ~Kenji Miyazawa
Experience and express the grief
Loss of your loved one might be accompanied by some pain. Don’t try to always avoid it, but face it directly and experience it.
You might undergo a range of emotions including some that make you feel bad, to some that make you sad. You need to open yourself to them.
It is important that you express or share your emotions and let them flow free to get out of your system.
Don’t suppress these feelings as they then tend to get negative and turn into regrets, or make you feel worse.
The process of releasing this negative energy is also known as mourning. Crying is the easiest and quickest way to release your grief, though you may have your own way to express your grief.
You can also express your sad feelings by preparing a photo album, writing a diary or blog, making a painting, or letting it out by listening or playing music.
Societies and communities have rituals and traditions that help the family and friends provide support and strength to the bereaved family to pass through this phase of grief.
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” ~ Thomas Campbell
Move on with life
The grieving period, the duration of which may be of a few days, weeks, months, or even years, needs to end.
However, if you feel you’re not able to cope with the loss of your loved one, you should confide in your spiritual leader or seek professional help.
Spiritual views and meditation do help and let you try to understand the underlying reasons and principles of life.
After a few days of mourning, it is okay to indulge in activities like going out with a friend, or even watching a movie without feeling guilty about it.
Socialization helps you to move forward and get on with life and you should avoid living in isolation for long periods.
These are stress buster activities that help you normalize after the numbness that you experience during grieving.
Remember that you’ve your own life to live, responsibilities, and liabilities to carry out, so you need to take charge of yourself.
You’ll feel good if you talk and share the positive contributions of your loved one. You can even have special occasions and get-together in memory of your dear one as opportunities for healing.
Things may not be the same, and a loss is, after all, a loss. However, you need to learn to live without your loved one. The show goes on, life moves on. That’s how it is.
Bear in mind that your loved one would never have wanted you to suffer. Instead, he or she would’ve loved to see you live your life to the fullest. Do that for the sake of your loved one.
There will be times when you’ll come across things, events, and people that will remind you of the loss of a loved one. Treat them as blessed memories and don’t taint them with negativity.
Create a healthy attitude, and whenever you’re reminded of your loved one, honor the person with your love and respect. Be positive and cherish the memories of the good old times you had together.
Take the lessons and teaching from the life of your loved ones, and make them a part of your life.
“He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Wrapping It Up
There are various ways of coping with the grief that result from the death of a loved one. Along with those you also need to take care of yourself and avoid all forms of negativity.
Never resort to negative options like getting violent, hurting others, or self-inflicting pain, giving in to alcohol or drugs. These only make the situation complicated and worse.
Imagine if it were you who died, you would never want your loved ones to spend the rest of their life crying or grieving over you – isn’t it?
Instead, the loss of a loved one teaches you to appreciate life, treasure and cherish the moments, and not take life for granted.
Gradually with the time, you’ll come to terms with life without your loved one. You’ll still harbor the old memories but they’ll not be painful ones.
Understanding death will make you understand your life better. You’ll realize that death is just an event and you should not let it eclipse the beautiful relationship you had with your loved one.
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” ~ Norman Cousins
Over to you –
What are your views about death? Did the loss of a loved one ever trouble you? What practical ways would you suggest for dealing with the loss of a loved one? Share in the comment below.
Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos, AlicePopkorn