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5 Tips For Coping With Grief On Valentine's Day
This time of year can be particularly difficult for bereaved people. Valentine's Day and other times of mass celebration such as Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas can even be quite painful. This article shares five top tips to help you cope with grief on Valentine's Day.
1. Know Your Limitations
If you don't want to go out or take part in the day, know that you don't have to. That's the very first thing you should know.
Friends and loved ones may make well meaning suggestions about you socialising and even getting back into the dating scene before you're ready. Only do what you're ready to do when you're ready to do it.
2. Remove Grief Expectations
You may have come across a lot of studies which carefully describe a stage of grief you "should' be at. The truth is, we are all individuals and you'll feel exactly how you feel and that's OK. You don't need to grieve like anyone else.
3. Have A Plan In Mind For What You'd Like To Do
Perhaps you'd like to go away on your own for a short break? Maybe stay at a hotel or with friends and family? Perhaps you'd like to stay home to think of the love you've lost and grieve heavily to avoid suppressing any sad feelings. Or, perhaps you're actually OK and you'd like to engage in a self-love-pamper-session.
However you'd like to spend your day, remember that you do still have options and you can make the most of the day in your own way.
4. Spend Time With Others
Not everyone will be celebrating Valentine's Day. Two of the three owners of Gooding Funeral Services don't - as a couple they spread their love for each other across the year. Perhaps you could spend time with friends or family who don't or won't celebrate Valentine's Day too?
5. Honour The Person You're Missing
If you're comfortable with doing this, you can still buy flowers and cards, etc, in honour of the person you're missing. We know that death doesn't remove the person from our hearts, so this could offer some comfort.
You're honouring them could even take the form of doing something as simple as writing about them in your journal. You could even make a memory box. Gather together letters, badges, photographs, and keepsakes you have from your loved one and put them in to a special memory box that you can reopen and reminisce over when you need to.
Whatever you choose to do on Valentine's Day, ensure it's within your boundaries and don't be afraid to reach out to loved ones for help and support if you need to.
You can find other helpful information here on our Pinterest Grief On Valentine's Day Board.
