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Lost In Grief? Create Lasting Memories With These 8 Tips

April 13th, 2023 Posted in family finance, Wellbeing
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When a loved one passes away, there is a loss that cannot be easily filled. Loss can be tremendously difficult to deal with, so it’s essential to have an outlet to process your grief and work through everything you are feeling and experiencing. It is only natural to feel lost in grief at times and run the gauntlet of emotions as you try to find your way in the world without them.

“What is grief, if not love persevering”

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Just because someone you have loved has passed away, it doesn’t mean your love for them stops. You will never forget that person, and while time may be a great healer, many people find they simply adjust to the norm rather than getting over the loss. Far from it, that love needs to be channelled into something productive and to be used as a tool to help you move forward.

But having a way to remember the person you loved who is no longer with you can be a great help in dark times and give you something to focus on. This post looks at some practical ways you can remember them and celebrate their life to help give you some comfort in a time when you need it the most.

Headstones or Grave Markers

One of the most common and traditional methods of a permanent memorial for a loved one is to mark their last resting place with a headstone or grave marker. This can not only help you to identify their resting location but also share them with others who visit the area. You can choose a variety of different designs and styles for your headstone and include various parts, from pictures for headstones by Memorials.com to engravings, quotes, poems, and simple tributes. Whatever you choose, you can ensure it is fitting to the person while giving you something you can visit and take comfort from.

Create Jewellery

One option which is gaining in popularity in recent years is to have a keepsake made from something special relating to that person. This can be either having their handwriting engraved on an item, their picture transferred to a locket or broach, for example, or using a lock of their hair or their ashes to create a stunning item you can wear every day. Depending on what you feel comfortable with, there is a wealth of possibilities. But this option allows you to keep a part of them close by for you to lean on when needed.

Charity Donation

Charity donations to something they were passionate about will allow them to live on forever through the initiative regardless of what it is or how much you are able to donate. A lot of people leave lump sums in their wills to go directly to a specified charity. However, if this hasn’t been the case, you can consider a charity donation in their name. This can be via sponsoring an animal, funding research, helping to support a new building or equipment they need, or covering running costs. This is a great way to ensure they are never forgotten and are still helping something they are passionate about even though they’re not here.

Mark A Spot

Marking a spot means you have a designated place you can go to in their honour and feel close to them. It can be different depending on them as a person or what will bring you the most comfort. It can be planting a tree in their name. It can be a plaque on a park bench, a brick at their favourite place, etc. A physical location can help you feel less alone and connect with them when you need to.

An Online Memorial

A more modern version of a home-based shrine, an online memorial allows people to share videos, images, and funny anecdotes about the person in one place for others to take over. This will enable you to retain their memory and share with the world the exact kind of person they were and how you want them to be remembered. Simply upload any media or documents you wish to share, and you create a stunning virtual online memorial for them that will stand the test of time.

Set Up A Foundation

People sadly pass away for many different reasons, and there are a whole host of charities and foundations that are set up in people’s names to honour their legacy or to ensure that the way they passed doesn’t happen to others. Whatever the reason for your foundation or charity, you can ensure others are well taken care of, educated and supported to meet your agenda and give you a long-lasting legacy to ensure they didn’t die in vain. If you are feeling lost in grief, this can be an excellent channel to process your grief into something worthwhile and give you a focus and commitment to support you and others around you.

Get A Tattoo

This isn’t for everyone, but a permanent reminder of a loved one on your body can give you a final tribute to them that is with you forever. From images or quotes, using their handwriting, to symbols that had meaning to them, whatever feels appropriate to you. This way, you can have a part of them with you at all times.

Frame Something

Lastly, you can create a framed image or frame some items of them for you to hang at home. In fact, you can take it wherever you want. It can take pride of place in your home for all visitors to see. It can be part of a more discreet shelf in your home with items dedicated to their memory or can be something you keep on you in a purse. By framing these treasured items, you can protect them from harm and ensure they are kept in good condition for you to connect with when needed.

Conclusion

Losing a loved one is never easy, and this post gives some great ideas on physical and practical ways to honour their memory and provide you with something tangible to remember them by and ensure they live on in your heart and memory for the rest of your life.

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Loss and Grief: How Can You Care for Your Mental Health When Grieving a Loved One?

October 21st, 2021 Posted in family finance, Parent Advice
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Funerals are some of the unfortunate things that happen in people’s lives. Losing a loved one is a challenging situation to handle, and you may forget to take care of yourself during this period.

Loss and Grief: How Can You Care for Your Mental Health When Grieving a Loved One? - comforting another image
Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels

It can be heartbreaking not to have someone around you anymore. Accepting this condition could take some time, but eventually, you learn that some situations are uncontrollable. Here are some tips to help you take care of your mental health when dealing with a loved one’s funeral:

Outsourcing a Funeral Service

It can be difficult for you to focus and get things done when you lose a loved one. You don’t have to handle all the funeral services by yourself. Get people specializing in cremations or planning funerals to do that for you as you go through the grief.

It will be easier for you to process your loss and grief when you get time every day to stay by yourself. Handling every funeral plan would work against that since you will be running around finding the perfect flowers or organizing how every day will happen during the burial.

This process can take a toll on your mental health if you carry the burden alone. You can also use other family members or friends to handle different tasks as you rest.

Accept the Deceased’s Wishes

The Will is usually one of the causes of confrontation among family members. Whether you get fewer assets than what the deceased allocated you in the Will, accepting the person’s wishes will help you handle the grief better.

No one should have to go through the whole process of hiring lawyers and sitting through the lengthy court processes immediately after burying a loved one. Once you choose to contest the Will, you will be going against the deceased’s wishes. It can significantly affect your inner peace and conscience.

The wishes may also include what to do with the body. The first thing you need to consider is whether the person wished for burial or not. If yes, where should the ashes get spread?

It would be easier for you to handle the grief if you respected what the person wanted.

Find Alternative Ways to Raise Money

Funding a funeral is one of the most expensive things people handle. Coming up with the perfect fundraising ideas can help you get all the costs covered.

Social media platforms like Facebook offer an excellent opportunity for you to raise any amount of money you need to cater for a loved one’s funeral. Paying hospital bills and burial expenses can be too costly for the family.

Express Your Emotions

Most people think that crying brings out the weakness in you. However, it is good for you to express your emotions during a loved one’s funeral to avoid holding in anger or sadness.

Plugin your earphones and listen to sad songs as you cry out your anger. This way, you get to relieve yourself of the emotional burden and cope with the situation effectively.

You can also let your family and friends support you during this process. Talk to whoever you can about how you feel.

Conclusion

Loss and grief can take control of your emotions. Everyone grieving a loved one should understand that it always gets better, and you might not have the person back, but you can always learn to cope with the situation.

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Grieving and Growing: Dealing With the Death of a Parent

November 11th, 2018 Posted in Parent Advice
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You never imagined this day would come, when your parents left you behind to go to heaven. Dealing with grief at this point in your life was not something you were prepared for and you need a few moments to think about how to deal with it all. You have been so busy trying to raise your own family that you never prepared yourself for something like this. You want to teach your kids about life and death, but you’re not sure how to go about it. You understand how important it is to grieve the loss of a close family member and then move on with your life. The time has now come to start the process and come to terms with the devastation in your family at this time.

The Practicalities

Before you can start to grieve properly, there are so many practicalities to take care of. You will need to organise a funeral, take care of legal matters and even hire local undertakers. You can easily get swept up in all of the logistical steps that you forget how to be upset. You have to put on a brave face and get all of these jobs done, otherwise it simply won’t happen. It’s fine to be on a mission to get everything sorted, but then you need to take a step back and start the grieving process.

The Grieving Process

There is no right or wrong way to grieve the death of a parent or loss of a close family member; everybody deals with this in very different ways. Whether you spend a few days being upset or you throw yourself back into work and push it aside for a while, there will always be a way that works for you. What you mustn’t do is keep your feelings bottled up inside as you will inevitable explode at some point. Speak to somebody you trust or go to a therapist to talk about your feelings in a non judgmental environment. Once you have come to terms with all of your emotions you will gradually be able to move on and start living your life to the fullest again.

Grieving and Growing: Dealing With the Death of a Parent - holding hands image

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The Conversations

Talking to your children about death can be incredibly difficult, but it has to be done no matter how old they are. Your little ones are going to have questions about where their grandparent has gone, so make sure you explain it in an age appropriate way for them to comprehend. There are many children’s books out there that help you to explain the process of life and death with your little ones, so this might help too.

The Normal Routine

At some point you will need to get back into the normal routine of life, without feeling guilty about smiling again. Once that day comes you will be able to look back on fond memories without feeling sad and upset about the passing of your parent.

Dealing with the death of a parent is incredibly difficult, but if you can learn to grieve and grow in the right way for you, you will soon be able to process it and move on. http://credit-n.ru/ipoteka.html

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