Coping with Grief After Losing a Loved One to Suicide
When you lose someone you love to suicide, life can feel as though it stops. Grief has a way of leaving us feeling devastated. While the greatest healer is time, there are a few coping mechanisms that can help navigate the rollercoaster of emotions that are associated with the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Coping with Grief as a Survivor of Suicide Loss
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is a day dedicated to ensuring that survivors of suicide loss know that they do not have to navigate the grief and pain of suicide loss alone. If you are experiencing this kind of grief, a few healthy coping mechanisms include:
Allow Yourself to Experience Grief the Way You Need To
Everybody experiences grief in their own way. Some people need to be surrounded by loved ones immediately after the loss. Others may need to take a moment to themselves to process their loss. There is no such thing as a right or wrong way to grieve. Allow yourself to grieve in whatever way you need to.
Make Sure You Are Allowing Yourself Space for Your Emotions
You will experience many emotions after experiencing loss, like shock, sadness, denial, or anger. Emotional suppression has been shown to cause long-term negative side effects, like an increased risk of heart disease or mortality, as well as increased feelings of stress and depression. Release your emotions in a healthy way. You can cry, vent, scream into the void, journal, or handle your emotions in any healthy way that feels fitting. Just make sure that you are letting them out.
Make Sure You Are Still Taking Care of Yourself
Self-care is essential to ensuring you can get through the grieving process healthily. While it can be tempting to let self-care habits fall by the wayside, this will lead to further mental and physical health struggles later that you do not need. Work to keep up with personal hygiene, healthy eating, exercise, and proper sleep habits. Take care of your mental health by journaling, participating in your favorite hobbies, and getting outside. This will ensure you maintain your mental health and resiliency as you navigate this difficult time.
Lean on Your Support System
Some people need to take time to themselves when processing a loss, which is perfectly acceptable. However, do not allow yourself to isolate too long. Support systems and human interaction are crucial to healing after a significant loss. Reach out to loved ones and family members that you trust. Vent or ask them to simply spend some time with you. Allow them to help you in whatever ways they can.
It may also help to seek a grief support group in your area. Connecting with others who have dealt with loss may help you feel supported and understood.
Allow Yourself Closure, Even If You Can’t Find All of the Answers
Know that your loved one's death was not your fault, and it was not something you could have predicted. Suicide is a devastating effect of depression that can be unpredictable and heartbreaking. Instead of focusing on things you could have done differently, work to focus on the beautiful memories you have with your loved one. They deserve to be remembered for the good they brought the world. It is important to note that you also deserve to move forward. That doesn’t mean forgetting your loved one. It just means to continue to live. Take it one step at a time. They would want that for you.
Seek the Help of a Therapist
It is difficult to move forward after losing a loved one to suicide. The emotional rollercoaster you experience throughout the grieving process can quickly become overwhelming. Therapy can play an essential role in moving forward. Our compassionate and professional therapists are here for you. Contact us today.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939772/
Keywords: grief, suicide, survivor’s guilt, depression, therapist