Managing Grief During the Holidays
When you lose a loved one, many different occasions and milestones can be tough to go through. One of these is the holidays. The holiday season can be fraught with things that can accentuate the loss and make the grief worse. If you are worried about this as the holidays approach, it can help to know some strategies to get through this time. Here are the ones that directors of funeral homes in Guilderland, NY want you to be aware of.
It is important not to isolate yourself. It can be tempting to do this, especially when other people may be going out to celebrate, but it can be harmful. You need to have a strong support system around you so that you can reach out for help if you need to. This does not mean that you have to go out and celebrate if you do not want to, but do call loved ones and stay in touch so that you do not face this alone.
Another thing that you can do is create new traditions. One of the things that most people have trouble with during the holidays when going through a loss is that there are lots of memories involved with the season. You are bound to have at least one tradition in which the person you loved took place and that can be a concern. You can resolve this by reaching out and creating some new tradition. You do not have to ignore that your loved one is not there or that they died, but you do not want to be reminded of it all of the time.
You may also think about doing something in your loved one’s honor. This can be a moving way of remembering during the holidays and ensuring that you get closure. If the person loved animals, for example, you may think about volunteering at an animal shelter. You can make a donation in your loved one’s name to a charity that they would have wanted, or you can do something as simple as listen to a favorite album. Take the time to think about what they would have liked to be done in their honor.
You want to remember that the holiday season will be tough for someone who is going through grief. The readier you are for it, the less complicated it will be. You want to take some time to ask questions from experts or to find books that deal with this topic. It can be of great help to do this.
When getting ready for the holiday season, keep all of these things in mind so that you do not have to struggle as much. You will want to have loved ones ready to help you if you need a bit of support, as well. To learn more about dealing with grief during the holidays, you can turn to a Guilderland, NY funeral home like us at McVeigh Funeral Home, Inc. We are here to help you get through this. Give us a call right now to learn more about our services.
