Grieving Through the Holidays: How to Overcome an Unexpected Death

​|Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can go through, and it can be especially painful during the holidays. When traditions are done without those you are used to experiencing them with, even the most anticipated of holiday festivities can feel empty and even painful, especially if the loss was unexpected.

As traumatic as the experience of loss can be, there are ways to get through it. Consider the four tips shared in this collaborative article in order to help you keep going over the holidays from an unexpected loss. 

​Note: The information in this article is not legal, medical or therapeutic advice. If you are concerned about your health or well-being, please seek help from a doctor or crisis line.

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Grieving Through the Holidays:
​How to Overcome an Unexpected Death

​Attend Grief Counselling 
Especially during the holiday season, people have a tendency to put on a brave face and put their feelings aside, no matter how much they’re really hurting inside. It’s important to open up about your feelings when dealing with grief, and professional counselling can further enhance the cathartic process of addressing your thoughts and emotions.

Not only does it allow for a sense of release, but within the structure of professional grief counseling, what you share is returned with guidance that will take you through the grieving process in a healthy and uplifting manner. Many people assume that they can't afford grief counseling, but many hospitals, clinics and churches offer grief counseling services for free. Not taking the proper time to grieve can lead to lasting emotional damage and absolutely must be addressed.
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Let yourself enjoy the holiday season and engage yourself in your favorite activities, whether it be attending parties with friends, decorating, watching holiday films, or private hobbies that give peaceful alone-time.

Part of counselling may be connecting with your past and discovering more about your roots and your family tree. This process can bring a sense of belonging and a better understanding of your past which can ultimately help in the grieving process. And now with technology and the reach of the internet you can do all of this online, like with the help of and online obituary archive such as GenealogyBank https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/obituaries/all/usa/tennessee/chattanooga/chattanooga-times-free-press. When you are ready to uncover your past, try out this process and uncover some of the mysteries of your past.

Remember to Have Fun 
In many cases, it's easy to become obsessed with how much you miss your friend or family member. You'll look at pictures, reflect on old memories, and hang onto old memorabilia. While taking the time to grieve is important, you can easily fall into a rut and be trapped within the loss itself. Taking time away from grieving to enjoy extra-curricular activities can tremendously assist in getting you back on your feet.

​Rest assured, this isn’t to forget your loved one, and you will have time to reflect and remember them, but it’s important to not let that remembrance become all-consuming and damaging rather than cathartic. Let yourself enjoy the holiday season and engage yourself in your favorite activities, whether it be attending parties with friends, decorating, watching holiday films, or private hobbies that give peaceful alone-time.

Hire a Lawyer
Unexpected deaths often come as the result of a wrongful death accident, which carries with it its own legal responsibilities. The legal system is hard enough to navigate as is, but when emotions are running high, holiday planning is consuming your time, and you are still trying to find time to grieve, it can be overwhelming and even painful to file the right suits and fight for the rights of yourself and your lost loved one. In these situations, it’s best to hire the services of a wrongful death accident lawyer to take care of the case.

A private professional, rather than a court-appointed attorney, will handle the details of planning your case, presenting it, and handling the paperwork. Beyond this, a reputable wrongful death lawyer, such as one you can find at https://www.warforhou.com/houston-wrongful-death-lawyer, will also work with you to personalize just how much you are involved in the court process while keeping you updated on the progress of the case in a sensitive manner.

The bottom line is that going through the grieving process at the same time as sorting out legal matters can be extraordinarily stressful. Having a law firm in Iowa (or elsewhere more relevant) help you navigate this process for you can relieve you of the stress of the details, allowing you to focus on grieving, give you more time to slow down and enjoy the holidays with those supporting you, and also ensure that you get the proper closure from the justice system. 

Spend the holidays connecting with those close to you and talk about your shared memories of the one that has passed.

​Create a Support System 
Reach out to family members and friends. When dealing with a loss, people have a tendency to isolate themselves from those around them. However, especially during the holidays, being alone can make a loss feel greater and lead to debilitating depression. Through the celebrations, and even afterward, standing close to friends and family will help dampen the blow and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed with grief. Spend the holidays connecting with those close to you and talk about your shared memories of the one that has passed.

​It’s likely that you have friends or family who are also suffering from the loss of your loved one, and grief can be much easier to bear as a group. Talk to them about how you are feeling, what coping mechanisms you want to avoid falling into, and what they can do to help you when you are overwhelmed. This is especially effective when coupled with grief counselling, where a counsellor will be able to teach you new coping methods and exercises that your friends and family can participate in. 

When carrying a loss through the holidays, things can quickly feel hopeless and overwhelming. However, if you utilize the support available to you, then you won’t have to face it alone. The holidays are about spending time with those who love you, and you can still celebrate while remembering the lives of those who have passed on. Friends, family, and professionals can assist in easing the burden of the loss and will help you travel the grieving process in a healthy and uplifting way. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help, and let yourself enjoy this holiday season.
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​Recommended: Books on Processing Grief

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Articles About Grief:

• What Does Complicated Grief Look Like? 
• Grief & Loss: What is it & What does it look like​
• The Impact of Experiencing Loss & Bereavement​​
• Strategies to Process & Feel Supported Through Loss

Holiday Articles:

• 3 Tips for Savvy Holiday Spending
• Free Checklist: Holiday Stress Busters
• Practical Tips for Managing Holiday Stress
• 3 Effective Communication Tips for the Holiday Season

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