How to Live After a Death

The death of a loved one is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure in his life. After the passing of a spouse, child, family member or friend, you may encounter some surprising and upsetting emotions, including anger, disbelief, guilt or extreme sadness. Learning to cope with these emotions while grieving can help make the grieving process easier and will allow you to live joyously again after a death.

Instructions

• 1

  Grieve as much and as often as you need. Don't feel as though you should "keep it together" or pretend that you are not grieving after the death of a loved one. You must grieve in order to move on.

• 2

  Avoid drugs and other negative habits that can impair your ability to fully deal with your grief. Alcohol, drugs and gambling are all habits that are easy to fall into during a period of great grief; however, it's important to stay away from these negative habits and focus on nurturing yourself in a healthful way.

• 3

  Talk with friends, family or a therapist about what you are going through as you grieve. Don't be afraid to ask for help from friends and family so that you have time to grieve appropriately.

• 4

  Exercise and maintain good self-care habits. Falling out of good self-care habits can be easy, but maintaining a healthy routine can help you feel healthier and provide you with more energy.

• 5

  Allow yourself to go through the five stages of grief, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Do not suppress these feelings in the hope that they will go away. Instead, embrace your feelings of anger or sadness. If you find that your feelings of anger or depression begin to worsen and affect your daily life in a negative way, arrange an appointment with a therapist in order to help yourself reach the root of the problem.

• 6

  Keep a journal. Writing about your feelings in a journal can help you clarify how you feel and reduce the amount of stress you feel when confronted with emotions. Writing about anger, depression and other painful emotions will help you to decrease the intensity of those feelings and eventually release them. This will help to calm you and to clarify how you feel about the situation.