Don't Bottle It Up: 3 Steps To Help You Through The Grieving Process

Losing a loved one is quite possibly the most painful experience you'll ever endure. Even if you were prepared for their passing, such as after a long illness, it can still be difficult to deal with the emotions that are raging through you. Don't feel like you're on a time-limit for your grief. Everyone grieves differently, and there is no right way – or wrong way – to do it. The most important thing you can do during this time is to give yourself the time and space you need to grieve. Here are some things that will help you through the process:

Talk When You're Ready

Your friends and family will want to you talk. That's okay. You may not want to talk, and that's okay too. You'll talk when you're ready. Go ahead and let people try to engage you in conversation. If it gets to be too much for you, simply excuse yourself, and head to your quiet place – somewhere you can go to get away for a few minutes. When you're ready to rejoin the group, go ahead. Just remember that your quiet spot is still there if you need to get away again.

Let Your Friends Help

You may feel that you need to take care of everything on your own. You don't though. If you have friends and family that want to take some of the burden off your shoulders, let them. Giving them busy work to do will reduce the amount of things you need to take care of, and will give them something to do so you can grieve quietly. Some things your friends and family can do for you will include, preparing meals, doing grocery runs, and answering the phones for you. Friends and family can be particularly good at screening calls, which will reduce the calls that you need to take while you're trying to grieve.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay

If you're trying to hold yourself together so you can keep appearances up, you don't need to. You're grieving, which means it's okay to not be okay. If you feel like falling apart, and crying, do it. Grab a soft blanket, and a comfy pillow, and just curl up on the couch. No one is going to fault you for falling apart. Falling apart is natural. It's part of the grieving process. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, contact the family grief counselor at the mortuary. They can help you through the grief process.

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