Soul Searching Saturday #2: How to Survive Losing Someone You Love

I wanted my second post for this series to be a topic most people can relate to, so I'm going to write about loss.

Let me start off by saying loss is exhausting. Yes, exhausting.

Loss can be devastating for many reasons. While I'm only going to focus on losing someone you care about, other forms of loss can be equally as devastating. For example: losing a limb to an accident or disease, losing a friendship or romantic relationship, losing a wedding ring or keepsake of your child's could be equally as devastating as the loss of a person. The severity of your loss depends on how emotionally attached you are to the item or thing.

I am a firm believer that you do not need anyone to validate your feelings of loss. You are allowed to feel your emotions as intensely or as little as you please, as long as your emotions don't cause harm to anyone around you.

Loss was a very difficult emotion for me to comprehend. I lost a lot of family that were very close to me in a short period of time and every emotion I felt was intense. Being a teenager was already difficult emotionally, now coupled with these traumas, it was very easy to fall into depression and difficult to climb out of that hole.

To help others from making the same mistakes I did when I was at my lowest point, I've compiled some helpful tips, based on personal experience to help you cope a little better. 

• Don't Be Afraid To Grieve Your Loss
• If you feel like you need to cry, do so. Don't let your emotions build up over time because you will eventually explode and possibly not be able to handle yourself by that time.
  
• Talk To Someone
• If you feel like your emotions are getting the best of you and you cannot function in everyday life, find someone to talk to. Talk to a friend, family member, clergyman, teacher, or professional; Talk to someone that you trust will give you honest, helpful advice, and won't criticize, berate, or betray your trust.
  
• Find Happiness In Small Things
• When I was at my lowest point I found that walking outside and playing video games made me feel better. Sometimes just having the sun shine on your face and breathing cool, crisp air is enough to change your mood and state of mind. Being outside and seeing so much beauty around me made me appreciate that I was alive to experience these things.
  
• Volunteer or Just Help Others
• I volunteered for a few years and found that it made me appreciate what I still have in my life. I also began to feel better about myself because I gained more self-esteem by stepping out of my comfort zone and overcoming some social anxieties. It sounds so cheesy, but helping others actually can help to turn your prospective in a different direction. Bad things may have happened in your life, but helping someone else when they're in need creates an emotion that's almost stronger than grief.

Whether feelings of loss stem from a death, growing apart from someone, or are even cause by losing your job, your emotions are validated because you feel them.
Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't allowed to feel the way you feel.

So, those are my tips for helping to ease feelings of grief when you've suffered loss in your life. Please let me know what you think in the comments below. You can comment anonymously as of this post.

Until next time friends - peace, love, and green tea <3

~ Domo ~