Finding Hope After Grief

Grief enters all of our lives. When it happens, you may find yourself experiencing frustration, exhaustion, confusion, and anger. So many negative emotions come your way. You can feel emotionally and even physically overwhelmed. Believe it or not, you can get past this tough time and come out of the other side better than ever.

Here are nine proven methods for finding hope after grief to recover completely from a difficult loss:

1 – Don’t Ignore What Happened

Embrace your grief. Deal with these emotions, however tough they may be. Give yourself time to grieve. Difficult emotions need to be processed, not ignored. Stare your grief in the face and address it because moving on with emotional baggage can cause problems in the future.

2 – Don’t Ignore Your Obligations

Trying to pretend your loss didn’t happen or ignoring it in some other way is never the right move. Sometimes, you might have to set your grieving aside for a little while. Even though it may be tough to go on, you have responsibilities that must be dealt with daily. You may have to do what’s necessary now and plan your grieving for some other time.

3 – Remember That Grieving Is Necessary for Healing to Take Place

Grief is the first step to accepting something difficult. You must process negative emotions so they don’t get the better of you. Recognize your grief as a sign that you are beginning to heal.

4 – Practice Gratitude for the Good Times

Some of the most difficult grief to handle comes from the loss of a loved one. In this case, remember the good times. Think about the wonderful memories you shared with that special person. This gratitude for their presence in your life focuses on the joy they gave you rather than the loss you are experiencing.

5 – Be Gentle and Patient with Yourself

Grief is not a weakness. You have been wounded deeply. Grief is a natural, normal response to significant loss and failure. Be patient, and don’t expect miracles overnight. Be gentle with yourself. Now is not the time to treat yourself harshly or expect to heal overnight.

6 – Recognize This as a Growing and Strengthening Process

You may have heard that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This is oh-so-true. Know that you will have grown significantly when you get through this difficult time. The grieving and healing process makes you stronger and more capable of dealing with significant loss later in life.

7 – Give Yourself the Time and Space to Grieve Properly

Some people process grief better if they spend a lot of time around others. You might be someone who grieves privately. There are those of us who heal faster than others.

Do what works for you. Don’t let anyone rush you or tell you there is a right or wrong way to get through this difficult time. Give yourself whatever time and space you need to heal properly.

8 – Seek Help

Your friends can help you heal. Support groups meet locally and online to help you through the grieving process. You can seek professional help from a grief counselor. It is wonderfully therapeutic to talk with others about your experience.

9 – Accept That Things Might Be Difficult for A While

The keywords here are “for a while.” You might believe things are crazy or even surreal at this moment. They can be incredibly tough to deal with. Just remember that it’s natural for you to feel painful emotions in this situation. You should also realize that this too shall pass. Nothing lasts forever, including this difficult time.

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Actionable Steps