Dealing with loss at Christmas

Dealing with loss at Christmas can be so heartbreaking. You feel as though something is missing, something just isn’t there that’s supposed to be. Almost like leaving the house with the feeling of forgetting something, but you can’t quite figure out what.

I lost my nan about a year and a half ago, and Christmas has been a difficult time since, which is weird because Christmas is supposed to be about happiness and fun. Knowing that there’ll always be that seat empty at the table at Christmas dinner, or one less gift to buy and wrap is so so difficult, I would think for everyone. I am still grieving for her, and I will be for quite a while and that’s okay!

Everyone has their own way of grieving, and the process of grief can be made all the more difficult by the festivities at Christmas, the constant reminders of family and sharing and love, but I think it is important to know that no one is alone in this. No one should ever feel alone due to grief, especially at Christmas when many people focus on family.

Giving advice to someone who has lost a loved one is hard, because like I said, everyone grieves differently. One piece of advice many people give is to try to remember the good times you had with your loved one, and talk about those memories! Through Twitter, a private blog for yourself or talking to a friend, just talk to someone! Don’t rush yourself through the grieving process, remember that it’s okay to cry and be upset and just miss that person for a while, as it is all part of what you’re supposed to do.

I will put a link below to a page from the charity MIND about bereavement as this is a page I found quite useful in working out just what I was feeling and a healthy way of dealing with it all.

To anyone grieving at Christmas, or missing a passed loved one, please remember that it is okay to not be okay! I will be thinking of you, and I do understand the feelings you may be going through. Merry Christmas x

https://www.bereavementadvice.org/ - a useful charity that has a helpline that you can call if you don’t feel like you can/safe enough to talk about your personal feelings.
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/bereavement/#.XAwOtWj7RPY - the page is not very detailed but lists the effects of bereavement as well as useful contacts you can go to depending on your situation.

​Kaitlyn