Coping with the grief of a life lost is a challenging endeavor; however, it is even more difficult to contend with during the holidays. It has been determined that individuals that experience the most difficult of bereavement are those that have been unable to invest a lot of thought into the problems that they will face. It is important to understand that, while grief may be experienced by many, it is a very personal situation. You must consider, ahead of the holiday season, what you are capable of and what others expect of you. Regardless of the season, grief consumes your time and energy. The additional demands associated with the holiday season may actually prove detrimental to the coping process. In this series, “Hope during the Holidays: Coping with Grief of a Life Lost”, we will provide crucial information on how to successfully cope after your loss while emerged in a world that is consumed by the joys and festivities of the season.

The World Has Changed

If there is one thing that we have learned when it comes to losing a loved one, it is that the world changes – to some degree – each time a life is lost. None of us like change. We face it with a high level of resistance. There are many different reasons for this. The following outlines a few of the most common reasons that we, as humans, experience an immense amount of difficulty when coping with change in our life:

1. The main reason that we resist change is that we experience a feeling of losing control. Change is a situation that is known to interfere with the process of autonomy in our lives.
2. The second reason that there is such a high level of resistance when it comes to change is that we are faced with a high level of uncertainty. Moving towards the “unknown” is frightening.
3. The third most popular reason that we experience resistance when it comes to change is that it makes everything different. We are, naturally, considered to be creatures of pure habit. Routines and other events in life become automatic to us. When change occurs, we are scared to adjust to a new way of life.

If you have lost a loved one, you will need to come to terms with the fact that the world has changed. You do not have any control over the loss, but, you do have control over the way that you respond to that loss. The future is uncertain, yes. You must now adapt to a world that no longer includes your loved one. It is scary to adjust to a new world, without the person that has passed away; however, it is possible. You have to know and understand this, in your mind, so that the heart is able to move forward. The world has changed and you, inevitably, will also change.

Thank you for reading Part 1 of our series, “Hope during the Holidays: Coping with the Grief of a Life Lost”. We feel that it is important to help others move to a sense of closure and experience hope in the direst of time –during the holidays, after a loss. Be sure to come back next week as we continue this series. In the meantime, if you would like to learn about ways to memorialize your loved one this holiday season, click HERE.