Ways to Deal With Grief

Grief is an emotional response of sorrow, confusion and heartache after losing someone or something that was important to you. Although grief is primarily associated with death, it can be a natural reaction to the loss of a job or even a divorce. The process of grieving is one that is intended to help you heal emotionally and mentally, which is why it is important to try certain life-practices to ensure that your grieving response is a healthy one.

Find Inspiration

• After the loss of a loved one, most people are flooded with memories of the deceased. It is through these memories that you can find inspiration. Maybe your loved one had a good sense of humor, a generous heart or a care-free nature; whatever their strong-suit, honor them by letting their life inspire you.

  When your loss is a job or a spouse due to divorce, consider what you gained from the situation before the separation. A child, a positive life-habit and wisdom are just some of the benefits that can derive from a marriage. New friends and acquired skills are often produced from employment.

Meditate

• Meditating is more about the guided thought process than remaining in a certain posture.

  Meditation is a relaxation technique based on the focus of a guided thought. Meditating is not only good for de-stressing, it's a good practice for someone who is grieving. During bereavement it's natural to feel overwhelmed, because for many people grieving is done with everyday matters needing their attention, such as, paying bills and taking care of others.

  By meditating you give yourself the opportunity to pause and organize your thoughts. If you are religious, you can incorporate prayer into your meditation time.

Help Others

• Grieving leads to depression in most cases when a person doesn't engage himself in other activities; instead, he allows himself to be submerged in repetitive thoughts about his loss and how devastating it feels. Helping someone else offers a break in that thought cycle. By reaching out to help a local nonprofit organization, volunteering your time to a charity benefit or just finding a way to help someone else, you are engaging yourself in a healthy outlet to deal with grief.

  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, lists a sense of well-being, help in chronic pain and the lowering of depression as additional, studied benefits of helping others.

Create a Memorial

• When grieving because of the loss of a loved one, the fear that the deceased will be forgotten is universal. Somewhere in your home create a small memorial. In the Hispanic culture, this is done by placing candles and a rosary near the deceased's picture. Let your memorial be placed in location where you can observe it without interrupting the other functions in your home.

  Dedicate a certain day of the month or year when you will reflect on the life of the deceased. This will help to alleviate the fear that your loved one will be forgotten and it will also offer you the opportunity to share the memories and events that you experienced with them when they were alive.