Research Explains: How Can Memories Help You Cope With Loss?
Losing someone is arguably the worst experience someone can go through. But the journey towards healing is complex, and you should know how to handle everything. One thing that can help is using memories in the process. Remembering and honoring the people you have lost can bring you absolute comfort.
What Is Grief?
Grief is an overwhelming emotion following the loss of a loved one. It is one of the most challenging emotions to deal with, as it instills so much fear, anger, and sadness.
- Regardless of how old, young, sick, or healthy the person who died was, it will still feel like the end of the world when they pass away.
Memories Can Be Used To Honor The Person You’ve Lost and Cope With the Loss
Since the dawn of time, people have memorialized events and people so that they wouldn’t ever be forgotten.
- Honoring the ones you’ve lost plays a big part in this process. When you honor someone, you want to do their life story justice and share their memories with other people.
Memories Can Help You Cope With Loss
Remembering the person who passed makes you have to face that they aren’t there anymore.
- When you look at a picture, you won’t be able to pretend that they could walk into the room at any moment. You will have to recognize the reality of the loss.
- Memories can also help you validate your feelings.
Final Thoughts On How Memories Can Help You Cope With The Loss Of A Loved One
Memories can be a strong tool to guide you along the way. Remembering the one you’ve lost can help you honor the person who passed away.
- It can give you the emotional comfort you need. Memories bring you closer to acceptance.
Depression
When you see that you can’t bargain your way out of the situation, you will start feeling depressed.
Denial
You are so used to the people you love being around you that you can’t imagine them gone.
- Even if you knew that person would die, you would still be in denial when it happens
- It is normal to feel shocked or numb at first
Acceptance
Finally, you understand that the loss can’t be undone and that you will have to adjust your life to fill the gap of that loss.
- You will still be sad, and that sadness will most likely never go away. But you will finally be able to move on with your life.
Memories Can Help You Cope With Loss
During the grieving process, you will feel the need to reconnect to the person you’ve lost.
- Connect with them on a spiritual level by using memories to remember them
- While remembering can be painful, the connection you feel can give you comfort and diminish your anger
Anger
After you get over the stage of denial, the next thing you will feel is anger.
Bargaining
If there’s a chance in a million that you will bring your loved one back, you will do anything to achieve that.
- People will even try to strike deals with a higher power if they think they may be able to return their loved one.