Dealing with Grief and Loss During the Holidays: A Guide to Healing

The festive season is considered to be a joyous occasion, but this is not true for everyone, particularly for those battling with grief.

The death of a loved one is always a difficult thing to endure, but even more so during the holidays. That said, while you can’t cancel the holidays, there are ways to manage your grief during this period. 

10 Ways To Deal with Grief and Loss During the Holidays

1. Acknowledge your emotions

It’s OK to not feel OK.

Your first instinct after suffering a loss may be to push your emotions to the side, but this won’t make them go away. Instead of ignoring your feelings, feel every emotion and allow yourself to properly process and recognize each feeling. 

Also, as it is the season of joy, you are allowed to experience happiness and joy, guilt-free.

2. Plan ahead

Your social calendar is likely to be booked during the festive season, and your deceased loved one may have played a role in this. It would be best to plan ahead, as this will provide you with a sense of control. It will also help you avoid potential triggers.

3. Set boundaries

People mean well, especially when you’re grieving, but that doesn’t always mean that they know when they’re overstepping. As a result, it’s important to set boundaries so that you don’t feel pressured to answer questions or participate in activities when you’re not up for it.

4. Honour holiday traditions

If your deceased loved ones are big on traditions, you can honor them by keeping up with holiday traditions the same way you did before. 

This will help you to relive the good old days as well as keep their memory alive.

5. Create new traditions

It can be hard to honor old holiday traditions, especially in the midst of your grief. If this is the case, then why not create new ones? Doing so can help with the grieving process, and it’s also a welcome distraction.

6. Connect with others

While it’s important to spend some time alone so that you can properly process your emotions, it’s also important to surround yourself with loved ones if you can.

This doesn’t mean that you should allow yourself to be bombarded with relatives, but why not call up an old friend for a quick lunch date?

7. Practice self-care

Grief can have a serious impact on the body, and coupled with the usual holiday stress, your health can definitely take a bit of strain during this time. 

To combat this, we suggest adopting some self-care habits like exercising, getting enough sleep, eating well, journaling, and meditating.

8. Spread the festive spirit

The past year may have been a difficult one for you, so volunteering and spreading some festive joy may be what you need to manage your grief.

From visiting a food bank to volunteering at your local shelter, doing some good can help ease your sadness and help in the healing process.

9. Be kind to yourself

There is no right way to grieve. It’s not a linear process, so it’s important to be kind to yourself during this period. 

Practice patience and remember that you’re doing the best that you can.

10. Reach out

There are many commitments and appointments during the festive season, and because of this, you may feel that your grief is of little importance, and thus shy away from reaching out.

This could not be further from the truth. If you are struggling, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed to let those around you know. If you’re really concerned about ruining the holiday mood, then try reaching out to a grief support group or a counselor, many of whom are open during the festive period.

Takeaway

Yes, ’tis the season of joy, but you don’t have to fake it if that’s not how you really feel. Grief is traumatic, and you should be allowed to process it as you need to, regardless of the season. 

MAIN IMAGE CREDIT: Photo by Irina Anastasiu/Pexels