Dealing with depression is hard enough with the ups and downs that come with it but nothing can cause a slump quite like the death of someone close to you.
The hardest part of coping with the loss of a loved one is the range of emotions that death brings. Anger, sadness, frustration and the constant questioning of whether you could have done more whilst that person was alive are all doubled when depression kicks in, especially if you was already on a downward curve.
That is how depression works though, it waits till your most vulnerable and strikes. Where you think you are strong it pinpoints the exact place where it can hurt you the most and the trick is to try and fight back, or at the very least hold on to something that can stop you being swept away by the tide.
Easier said than done though isn’t it…
When someone dies it is so easy to find yourself sinking. Mourning the loss of someone takes your attention away from your own issues and while the distraction can be welcome at times, it can also cause you to miss warning signs that are usually right in front of you, signs that would let you know that the bad days are returning.
The following information comes from Bereavement Advice Centre and can be found here
The effect of grief
At times you may feel overwhelmed by the emotions you experience and some of them such as anger can take you by surprise. Grief is the normal response to the loss of someone we love and many people experience numbness, periods of intense weeping and sighing, anger, anxiety and apathy. Some people may find they have difficulty sleeping or lose their appetite.
Everyone’s reaction to grief is unique, and different people in a family may experience different emotions, even when they are mourning the loss of the same person.
Some people find trying to keep to some kind of daily routine helpful but this can be very hard when there is no longer someone there to make an effort for. If your life partner or a parent or child has died, every time you have to do something for the first time without them is very difficult.
This emotional pain is normal and is not a sign of mental illness although sometimes people who are grieving do also become depressed. If you have experienced mental illness in the past do not hesitate to seek help from your GP if you feel you need it.
Often many of us are able to put on a brave face to people around us except those we are very close to (especially if we have to return to work), but it helps if there are some people we can be totally honest with. This is when organisations set up by people who have been bereaved themselves or by people who have training to help them understand the experience of grief can be very helpful.
Over time the less bad days do begin to outnumber the really bad days although this may feel impossible to imagine at the beginning. Many people find inner strength that enables them to come through this experience still very much missing the person who has gone but able to remember them and enjoy life again.
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Here is a little Moose tip for dealing with the loss of someone..*
Celebrate the life they had, the impact it had on you. Spend less time on feeling sadness of their loss and more on being grateful that they were in your life in the first place.
It is okay to mourn, to feel sadness but they would not want you to slip back down to rock bottom.
Remember the times you laughed together, the special moments you had between the two of you.
Regain your strength and use their memory to inspire you to recovery.
* Just because I have given that tip it doesn’t necessarily mean I am following my own advice!
Above all else though the best thing you can do is TALK about that person, share your memories with others who are grieving. Holding everything inside is a one way ticket to an explosion of emotions that will overwhelm you and that can be harder to cope with than any feelings of grief.
A person may have moved on to another place but their spirit can be kept alive by you! By talking about that person you are more likely to share happy memories which will make you smile.
Now if only I could follow this myself…..
well said, the hardest part of common sense good advise is that it’s not all that common or easy to follow………………
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thanks Roger!
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Dear Moose, On New Years day my aunt passed suddenly – diagnosed with cancer days before Christmas- she celebrated a bday- had a stroke and died all with in 10 days time. 😦 My mother (her sister) my 2 siblings and a cousin made the 3 hour drive to go CELEBRATE my aunt’s life with her sons ,grandchildren and other relatives. It made some family bonds stronger- I don’t think Teresa would want you to mourn her death but to CELEBRATE her life.
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sorry for your loss. Completely agree about celebrating her life, in fact knowing her she would be rolling her eyes at all the fuss made over her passing.
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Very good piece. I lost my mum and the grief continues albeit to a much lesser degree 6 years later. Remembering the happy times is the key to coping. It takes time though. All the cliches are true, time is a great healer. Time for the pain of loss to fade. Eventually you stop remembering them as the person that died and remember them as the person that lived.
Ali x
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Thanks for the comment Ali, I agree completely. When I think of my uncle I remember all the good things not the sight of him wasting away in hospital etc
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many are writers but you are an author.
I appreciate your skill.
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thank you
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Hi, this was obviously a big loss to you, as you’ve said, it’s so sad. I know you’ll get through this period, and I hope you have someone you can have a good long chat to in real life about your feelings.
Best wishes
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xxx replied to your email
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Jesus said – “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in your weakness.
Chris Tomlin wrote a song – Enough it is good and speaks to this, as he experienced a loss of his child.
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Thanks shawn
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