Deal with the Pain of Losing a Child

Have you lost a child recently? Is the pain eating you up inside? They say the most painful thing a parent can go through is to outlive their child. Losing a child is very devastating. You mourn for the loss of your their life, future, and potential, and nothing will ever be that same again. But losing a child doesn't mean your life is over. Somehow, you can get through the pain and the grief and hopefully come out on the other side. Below are some tips on how you can deal with the pain of losing a child.

1. 1
   Help Yourself Grieve

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   When you are grieving, allow yourself to embrace all your feelings and emotions. You have the right to whatever feelings may come up. Most of the times, you will experience intense anger, denial, guilt, fear, and sorrow. All these are just normal feelings for a bereaved parent. For years, we have relied on the notion that people progress through five different stages of grief, which starts with denial and ends with acceptance. However, throw out the timetable. There is really no series of steps you need to complete in the grieving process. Recent studies show that some people accept a loved one's death right from the beginning and eventually yearn more for the lost individual instead of having feelings of depression and anger.

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2. 2
   Take time off from work, or not

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   There are parents who find getting back to work a very unbearable experience, while there are those who prefer to throw themselves into their usual daily routines. There are companies these days that provide their employees with paid personal days. Have no fear of letting your company push you to come back to work even before you are ready.

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3. 3
   Turn to your faith

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   There are parents who find comfort in their teachings, beliefs and rituals. If you are one of them, turn to these things now to help you in your grief recovery. Although there may come a point when your religious beliefs are damaged after the loss of your child, all these are just normal. The time will come when you are able to get back to your faith.

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4. 4
   Trust in Time

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   They say "Time heals all wounds". This may sound like a nonsense and meaningless cliché, but truthfully, time can really help you in recovering from your loss in due time. Of course the memories (even the good ones) will linger every now and then, hurting you to your core. But the time will come when you will start to change and realize that every memory, both good and bad, are memories worth cherishing.

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5. 5
   Get Enough Sleep

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   For some parents, all they want to do is sleep. Then there are those who find themselves staring blankly at the TV or pacing the floors at night. Losing a child cannot only be emotionally tiring, but it can also be physically exhausting. Studies show that losing someone at this magnitude is the same as a major physical injury. Needless to say, you need to have adequate time to rest and sleep. When you feel tired, give in to the urge to have ample sleep.

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Recovering from the loss of a child will take a long time and you will never be truly whole again. As you grieve, do what feels right to you. After all, you don't owe anybody any sort of an explanation for the way you express your grief.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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