Although pain never\nreally goes away following the loss of someone close to you, the sense of loss\ncan feel greater on some days than it does on others, particularly during the\nholidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\nis your first or tenth Christmas without a loved one, the festive season can be\na difficult time filled with painful reminders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have put\ntogether some tips and coping mechanisms to help you cope with your grief\nthroughout the Christmas period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are\nlikely not alone in your grief. You should speak to others that are grieving to\nfind out how they are doing and what they are feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may also\nbe considerate of you to ask if they have any wishes, and you may want to\nexpress your own, so as to not cause any additional upset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For\nexample, some people may feel it is too painful to talk about the person they\nlost, whereas others may\nappreciate having someone to talk to about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some families find it comforting and honourable to\ncontinue with old traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, others may find it too painful to carry on with\ntraditions in the absence of a loved one. If that is the case for you, why not\nstart a new tradition?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find ways to commemorate your loved one and include them\nin your Christmas day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could visit a special place, light a candle, read a\npoem, have their favourite food or drink, listen to their favourite song, send\nup a balloon, or buy a commemorative ornament for the tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may wish to visit their grave or the place where\ntheir ashes were scattered, and leave something for them, such as a card or\nflowers, or simply talk to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep the memory of someone who has died alive by sharing\nyour memories of them with others, and ask them to share their memories of them\nwith you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could go around the room and each share a funny\nstory, your favourite memory, or the best or worst gift they got you or jokes\nthat they told.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may be difficult, but it is important that you\nremember to take care of yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only does this mean embracing your emotions and\nletting yourself grieve, but also allowing yourself to have fun and enjoy\nyourself, without feeling guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to stick to a routine as best you can. If it all gets\na bit too overwhelming, you can always take a step back and have a breather.\nHowever, be sure not to isolate yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do not be afraid to reach out to someone for a chat, or\nto ask for support if you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are struggling and feel you do not have anyone to\ntalk to, you should seek professional bereavement support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Although pain never really goes away following the loss of someone close to you, the sense of loss can feel greater on some days than it does on others, particularly during the holidays. Whether it is your first or tenth Christmas without a loved one, the festive season can be a difficult time filled with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2256"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2261,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256\/revisions\/2261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maddocks-funerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}