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Grief is a rollercoaster ride we never buy tickets for, yet find ourselves strapped in without warning. It’s a journey marked by highs and lows, tears and laughter, and an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Grief is a journey of indeterminate duration. But for 20% of American adults, grief can be extensive, complex, and deeply overwhelming. This can become a source of extreme sadness, of course, but also remains as a permanent source of stress in someone’s life, long after they’ve learned to hide the signs of depression from their surrounding. This is when you need to step up and try to find ways to support someone going through loss.
Sorting out belongings
One of the first steps in the grieving process is sorting through the belongings of departed loved ones. It’s a daunting task, laden with emotions, but offering a helping hand can ease the burden. Encourage your grieving friend to tackle this task gradually, one box at a time.
Together, you can reminisce about the stories behind each item and decide what to keep, donate, or discard. Remember, the act of letting go can be cathartic. It can also be healing, especially if you decide to donate items as this is a way to pursue the legacy of a loved one long after they are gone.
Making a memory album
In a digital age, where memories are stored on screens, there’s something comforting about flipping through the pages of a tangible photo album. Create a memory album for your friend, filled with snapshots of happier times shared with their loved ones.
You can add personal touches like handwritten notes, ticket stubs, and dried flowers to evoke fond memories. This tangible keepsake serves as a beacon of light on dark days, reminding them they’re never alone in their grief.
Commemorative items
One of the greatest fears of grieving individuals is forgetting the essence of their loved one. Combat this fear by gifting them commemorative items that honor their memory in tangible ways. Consider personalized garden rocks as memorial stones engraved with meaningful quotes or names, so they can create a quiet space in their garden to relax and remember while healing with Mother Nature. The fear of moving on and forgetting is real and can trap people in a state of permanent grief. So, memorial items can give them a place to remember while still continuing to live their lives.
Encouraging storytelling
Stories have the power to transcend time, preserving memories for generations to come. Why not encourage your friend to write their loved one’s story, capturing the essence of who they were and the legacy they left behind? It doesn’t have to become the next bestseller. But storytelling, whether through prose, poetry, or simple anecdotes, can be a therapeutic outlet for processing grief and keeping memories alive.
Navigating grief is a journey fraught with pain and sorrow, but it’s also an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those we’ve lost. You can’t take away the sadness and void left by a loved one’s death. But you can help your friend navigate it and find an outlet for their emotional turmoil.
Together, we can turn mourning into meaningful memories, honoring the ones we hold dear in our hearts forever.
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