Grief and the Holidays

Dealing with the grief that comes after the loss of a loved one is something that can be difficult at any time of the year, but it can be especially difficult during the holidays. You may want to have a celebration or other traditional events and you may be wondering if you can get through them while working through grief. To help you through this, directors of funeral homes in Mission Viejo, CA want you to keep a few things in mind.

You want to reach out to people. It can be tempting sometimes to try to be on your own, especially if you are worried about upsetting or annoying other people, but the best thing you can do is reach out to loved ones for support. They will know and understand that you are going through a difficult time and they will be ready to offer the support you need. Do not underestimate this.

Another thing that you want to keep in mind is that you want to consider making new traditions. It can be tough to get through the season without having memories of your loved one and doing things in which your loved one was involved can only make this worse. You will want to consider putting together different activities that do not have any memories attached to them yet. This does not mean that you are forgetting your loved one, just that you are allowing yourself to let go of the grief for a little bit.

It is important to allow yourself to have fun and enjoy the celebrations. Many times, people feel guilty at wanting to have fun, but your mind does need a break from the grief. This can be an incredibly healthy thing to do. You are not forgetting about your loved one or ignoring their loss, but you are giving your body and mind a break.

You can also choose to do something in honor of your loved one. If your loved one was someone who was worried about the environment, for example, you can donate to charities that focus on that or you can sign up for a beach cleanup or something similar. There are lots of options that you can take if you want to honor your loved one.

These are all important things that you want to consider when dealing with the loss of a loved one during the holiday season. You need to be sure that you consider making new traditions for yourself and your family and that you think about allowing yourself to have fun. Your mind needs a break from the grief and the holidays can provide it if you let yourself enjoy the season despite the loss and the grief. You can learn more about dealing with grief during the holidays by reaching out to a Mission Viejo, CA funeral home like us at O’Connor Mortuary. We are here to ensure that you know what to expect about grief and about making funerary arrangements for your loved one. Give us a call right now.