Using the Season to Cope with Holiday Grief
The Holidays Will Help Heal You
The holiday season is normally designated to magnify that special time spent with your loved ones. The holidays are milestones that celebrate togetherness, family, and love. But when someone close to you passes away, the holidays could turn into a mournful reminder of that loss. Holiday grief can bring an overwhelming range of memories and emotions as you spend it without that special someone for the first time. Grief is an emotion we must overcome and although the holidays could be difficult time to experience after the loss of someone, the season can also be used to help heal your grief. Here are several helpful pieces of advice to incorporate the season in healing your holiday grief.
Don’t Cancel the Holidays
It is, of course, understandable if you decide not to go to a few holiday parties or events, but isolating yourself will not help your grievance. Make suitable changes to your family celebration if you need to, then confide in your family and friends to help you make it through the holidays the best way you can. It’s important to let out and share your personal feelings. Your loved one would want you to move on, be happy, and celebrate the holidays with people still in your life.
Support from Friends and Family
Sharing your feelings and talking openly with your friends and families about your emotions will help you move forward. Share memories of you and the one you lost; reminiscing on your favorite holiday stories or browsing through photo albums can become a source of comfort.
Don’t Void Your Loved One’s Presence in Celebrations
During a holiday celebration, it’ll be good to recognize your loved one’s presence. The idea is to create and put up a physical symbol of their presence that is visible to others and you. Some suggestions would be lighting up a candle in their memory, putting flowers on the dinner table, placing a favorite possession of theirs in a visible area, and encouraging family members to write their feelings and thoughts on notes and inserting it all into a stocking.
Keep Traditions Alive
The traditions that you and your loved one shared should not stop. Carrying out the same tradition is an honorable way and a perfect way to remember a loved one and overcome your holiday grief. Whether it is continuing the tradition of picking up the Christmas tree from his or her favorite farm, cooking a favorite dessert, volunteering at a shelter, or sending out Christmas cards; embrace the tradition, they may still be with you in spirit.
Honor Your Loved One
In relation to making your loved one’s presence known at celebrations, honor and commemorate him or her with a simple toast at dinner or holding a moment of silence. A different way to help you cope with this loss is decorating their memorial with holiday ornaments and decorations.
Honor Your Loved Ones, But Remember You’re Still Here
When we look at the holidays as a way to remember and embrace the love that we lost instead of it being a reminder of pain, then we can move on and overcome grief. The holidays are about family and family is what will get you to cope with your loss. Bayer Cemetery Brokers is a group you can trust in finding a decent, affordable resting space for your loved ones. Let us do our part in helping you and your families ease your holiday grief. Enjoy the holidays!
