My father passed away in October and it’s still difficult. I’ve dealt with grief before - two very close family members passed. The hard truth is you will never fully recover. 7 years later, a memory will bring you to tears.
The only thing that relieves it somewhat is time, in my experience. Something else that I kind of think helped was trying to guess what my dad would want for me (living sensibly, taking care of myself etc.), and try my best to follow it (not perfectly or even very well, but I try). I hope you will recover from your grief as rapidly as possible. I don’t think my father would like the idea of me being crushed by grief, and I don’t suppose yours would either!
I wish I knew the answer to this too.
for me, time was what did it, but that advice never helps. All the psychological things to do may be hit or miss because everyone experiences it differently.
I think you should take care of yourself physically.
Eat well, don't overeat. Don't eat junk or sugar.
Exercise helps. It helped me to make myself tired. Go to bed exhausted. I think exercise and sleeping hard will blunt things.
good luck, and sorry for your loss.
I feel your loss. My mother passed away a year ago. As a first son, I was close to her. As Denzel Washington said, "A Mother is a Son’s first true love". As a 50 year old, I thought I would be able to handle it well. But I didn't.
Here are somethings I learned:
- to mourn well, mourn deeply and privately: I deleted all social media apps. I cried. I spent time alone thinking of all the times that I spent with her. I eulogized, I wrote about her. I did everything to mourn deeply. That could be done only in private. I don't think you can mourn in public.
- follow tradition to mourn: I have been an anti-tradition person all along. But I found out tradition is useful to mourn. Every culture has traditions for mourning - in our case, going to grave, going to church, 3rd day mass etc.
- find your ways to express your grief. Some write, some sing, some sit amidst nature....
- it will never be over: a year has gone and there are days I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of everything she did for me and the moments we spent together.
I wish you well.
If it helps: I wrote about my learning here: https://www.jjude.com/lessons-from-mourning/
My condolences. Your grief responses sound normal and healthy to my ear for such a deep loss.
Mental health professionals with expertise regarding grief are a thing…my beloved is one. Helping people with their extraordinary grieving experiences is an ordinary part of their work day.
So maybe professional counseling is something to consider at some point. Maybe it is not. And again my condolences.
Sorry for your loss. Death may be the most absolute part of life - don’t cry because it’s over smile because it happened. It’s okay to never “get over” something but wish you strength to overcome the immediate difficulties.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Well-said. Hard as it can be, try to temper the sadness with good memories - you may even find yourself smiling through the tears at times. Take care.
I am terribly sorry for your loss. This helped me when a parent died unexpectedly, I hope it helps you too. I wish you peace.
https://old.reddit.com/r/GriefSupport/comments/d9685e/grief_...
https://old.reddit.com/r/Assistance/comments/hax0t/my_friend...
Thank you so much. I will read those.
I’m truly sorry for the passing of your father. Stay strong. After letting your emotions out, please continue to live your life to the fullest and cherish every second. It’s okay to feel sad for a while, but don’t let the sadness linger too long. One day, you will reunite with your father in heaven. Stay strong.
It's been three years for my father, and a month for my mother.
First: There is no one "right" way to grieve. Don't feel like there's something wrong with crying for a month.
It does get better with time. You reach a point where you're only crying some of the time. (I describe it as "I'm not bleeding, but it still hurts if anything bumps it".)
For me personally, I am a Christian. "We mourn, but not as those who have no hope." It changes the grief. It's still grief, but doesn't have as bitter an edge on it. Depending on where you're coming from, though, that option may not be open to you.
Sometimes I see someone who bears a strong resemblance to my father. When I do, I usually go up to them, explain that my father died, they look like him, and ask if I can have a hug. It's not him, and I always wind up crying, but it helps me.
Crying as I type this...
Praying for God's comfort for you.
> When I do, I usually go up to them, explain that my father died, they look like him, and ask if I can have a hug. It's not him, and I always wind up crying, but it helps me.
I don't think I've ever heard anything like this before. Have you ever gotten a bad reaction from someone? Or do they always oblige?
I've done this maybe half a dozen times. I have never gotten a rejection; I have always gotten a hug.