| Losing A Loved One | Feelings | Losing A Loved One | <div class="ExternalClassFB59A2C6088448E884230C0693C9C19C"><p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"times new roman", serif;">I don't get why when someone passes away, you
don't want to talk to anyone, push yourself away from everyone. Maybe something
is wrong with me. </span><br></p></div> | <div class="ExternalClass594780AEFB414270A08FD80BAB00C09E"><p>Thanks so much for emailing in. Losing a loved one is not easy no matter a person's age. When you lose someone special, whether it is due to a long illness, sudden tragic death, a move far away, or a break up, you still experience loss and change which can be so hard. Everyone experiences grief in different ways too. While one person may want to talk about the loss or celebrate memories, another may not even want to talk about it or will get mad if someone asks them how they are feeling about it. It can bring up emotions that you don't normally show in front of others so it might feel odd or uncomfortable too.</p><p>Allow yourself to feel. If you are sad, there is no shame in crying – it is a natural release. If you are embarrassed that is affecting you so much, there is no shame in this either – that person was important to you and the loss has hurt your heart or even if you are not close to the person, they still touched you in some way and were a part of your life. If you are angry, that is even ok. Sometimes life is not fair or not being able to have someone around longer makes you mad. You have a right to your feelings.<br></p><p>Sometimes a big loss can cause some anxiety, so it is important to make sure you are still eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising daily, and sticking to your routine to the best of your abilities. There are going to be times throughout your day when you might slip away to have a moment alone, or think of the person and feel sad or maybe even have a hard time focusing. Allow yourself a few minutes. Tell yourself, ok I am going to worry, or cry, or be mad, but in 5 minutes, then I need to get going to do something else or go outside for some fresh air.<br></p><p>Practice some self-calming strategies too. This might look like some deep breathing exercises, meditation, taking a warm bath, going for a long walk, asking the person you lost for strength or putting some favorite music on. If your grief starts to interfere with your daily functioning, you might want to consider talking to someone whether that means reaching out here, talking to your parent, or even talking to a friend just to process through all of this. You never forget, but time does allow your heart to heal a bit.</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Laura, Crisis Counselor<br></p></div> | 13 | | |
