Coping with Death

If there's one thing that almost all humans fear, it's death. As sad as it may sound, death is inevitable. That isn't meant to sound depressing whatsoever, but there's no avoiding death. We all go through it at some point, but usually it's later in life. However, death (or any negative occurrence) can happen at any time. Again, that isn't meant to scare you, but this goes back to my previous Injection of Inspiration post as to how you should appreciate everything and everyone you have before they're gone. Why did I choose to write about the topic of death on this day, you ask? Well, today marks the ten-year anniversary of the day I lost someone very close in my family. Granted, I was a mere youngster at the time and didn't realize the full seriousness of the situation until later in life, but I was still heavily affected by it, as was my life. 

One thing I mentioned in my newest novel, Aspire to Inspire, is that at one point, I begged for sympathy from others. I'm not even talking about at the time, but rather years later. I just wanted the attention. I've since realized that was wrong (obviously) and using a family member that passed away years ago as an excuse to get attention was pretty pathetic. That being said, never used a dead love one as a way to garner attention. The sympathy will come organically, not forced. But that's not what I wanted to discuss. After anyone you care for passes away, it's normal to feel sadness. It'd actually be abnormal if you didn't feel sad following a loved one's death. While it's great to reminisce and relive the memories you once shared with that person, you can't their death hold you back. Now, I'm not saying to get over someone's death the very next day, but don't let your sadness get in the way of your own happiness. I'm sure that person wouldn't want to see you sad, even if it's over their passing. They want to see you happy. The healing process takes time, but keep in mind that these kind of experiences are what make you stronger. 

During your recovery, find things that can help keep you occupied to get your mind off things. Find something that you really enjoy doing and use that as your motivation to achieve happiness. I've already discussed how to "move on" in past blogs, but this is a more serious scenario since it pertains to a life-altering occurrence such as death not relationships or things of that nature. Another alternative would include talking to someone about how your feeling regarding the death. Whether it be a family member, friend, co-worker or professional, as long as it's someone you're comfortable. Letting it all out is one of the most important steps in the healing process, and you'd feel much better after doing so. 

As previously mentioned, feeling sadness from someone passing away is expected and understandable, but try your best not to dwell on it. Others will start to lose sympathy for you and will begin to grow tired of your consistent whining about you feeling bad for yourself. That accomplishes nothing, so try your best to shy away from that. You may not see that person everyday anymore, but they'll still be with you in spirit. I won't bring religion into this, but you can believe what you want to believe as to where they go beyond death. You still have the memories, and that's all that matters.