How To Grieve Healthily After A Family Member’s Wrongful Death

Losing someone, especially a family member, can be an overwhelming experience for the bereaved. If you’ve lost someone due to a wrongful death, grieving healthily might be more difficult than expected. However, this doesn’t mean it’s not something that can’t be done. All it might take is understanding, time, and patience to understand how grief works and how you can cope with losing a family member.

Understanding Grief

When the subject of grief is tackled, it may be helpful to first understand how the grieving process works before moving towards how to grieve healthily after a family member’s passing. According to Lydia Snyder’s presentation from the Florida State University, grief is a normal process of reacting to a form of loss, with everyone responding to it in different ways.

According to the University of Washington, the process of grieving might be painful, but it’s important as it allows the bereaved to “free up” the energy associated with the lost person and allow them to invest it to something new. This doesn’t replace the memory of the person, but rather allows us to remember the importance of the loss of the person in a sense of peace rather than in pain.

Express Yourself, Keep The Memory Alive

Remember, you don’t have to grieve alone. While different people have different ways of dealing with grief, it doesn’t mean that one should experience it by themselves. If there’s a way to find means of expressing yourself privately or to others, then it might be an extremely helpful endeavor.

• If available, try to talk regularly about your memories and grief with someone you trust. It can be a friend or another family member, especially if it’s someone who knew the person you’ve lost.
• If talking with another person might seem too difficult, try to express yourself through other means. This can be through a journal, be it a physical or a digital one. You can also pursuit other creative endeavors such as literature and music.
• You can take time to reflect and meditate on the memory of the person lost. You can pray or set a specific time of the day to experience the feelings associated with the memories of the person involved.

Take Your Time To Grieve

However, despite the “normalcy” of the grieving process, it’s not by any means a sign that you should rush into the process. There’s no deadline for “getting over” the situation, and you’re free to take as much time as you need. As such, the effects of grieving on your system means there are things that may not be advised for you to do as you adjust to the loss of a loved one.

• It might be a good idea to anticipate that there’s some loss of energy on your end during the grieving stage. There might be a reduction to your usual consistency and efficiency due to your loss, and it’s not something bad. Take your time to reacquaint yourself with your usual activities.
• As such, it may be helpful if you avoid making big life decisions or undertaking a new set of responsibilities, as you may not have taken enough time to think about them properly, or you may not be in the right position to follow through with your plans.
• However, try your best not to be negligent about your overall health and well being. Try to undergo regular and moderate exercise, and try your best to maintain a good diet and healthy sleeping patterns. These may be difficult, but grieving doesn’t mean punishing yourself.
• In the same token, try to find ways to relax and give yourself time to enjoy. You can read a book, plan for a short trip, get yourself a good massage, or take a leisurely bath. Doing these doesn’t mean you want to forget what happened, but these can at least help let off some steam.
• However, do be careful with the kind of material you expose yourself with, as certain books, films, and television shows can have sensitive material that can intensity feelings you have.

Seek Help When Needed

Grieving isn’t exactly an easy process, which makes it understandable if some people find it difficult to fully understand the situation they’re in. Sometimes, expressing yourself can be difficult, and “taking time” isn’t making the process easier. If this is the case, perhaps you’re in need of a helping hand.

• Remember, seeking and accepting help isn’t a sign of weakness. You are allowed to ask for help the way you ask for medical assistance when you have an injury. Just because loss doesn’t leave a literal “gaping hole” in your heart doesn’t mean you’re okay.
• Seek a support group that can help you better understand your situation and cope with your loss. These individuals can be the ears you may need when expressing yourself.
• If being in a support group can be overwhelming, you may also seek the help of a counselor or a psychiatrist. They are trained and experienced in dealing with these situations, and as such can help you find ways to grieve depending on your situation.
• When it comes to fully recovering from the loss of a family member due to a wrongful death, consider asking the advice of a lawyer as to what you can do about the situation. Click here to learn more about the services of lawyers that might be able to assist you when it comes to dealing with a wrongful death.

Conclusion

The tips and information above may have given you a better understanding on the concept of grief and how you can grieve healthily after a loss of a family member. However, do remember that the process of grief doesn’t happen overnight, and has to be something that is tackled with careful consideration and understanding.