The Loss of a Loved One Hits Hard—Does It Ever Get Easier?

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How to Cope in the Immediate Aftermath of Loss

How to Cope After Time Has Passed

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If you have lost a loved one, you’ve probably already realized that there are so many emotions and feelings that come along with an unexpected or expected loss of a loved one.

To find out how people work through their grief while still honoring their loss, we interviewed Frank Anderson, MD, a psychotherapist and psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of trauma.

At a GlanceNo matter where we are in ourgrieving process, it’s important to remember that our feelings are valid, and we’re not on anyone else’s timeline when it comes to healing. While grief comes in waves, some helpful ways to cope include showing ourselves compassion and embracing all the emotions, looking back on the memories (even the negative ones), and remembering that healing takes time. Don’t forget—we can always lean on our loved ones and mental health professionals for support.

At a Glance

No matter where we are in ourgrieving process, it’s important to remember that our feelings are valid, and we’re not on anyone else’s timeline when it comes to healing. While grief comes in waves, some helpful ways to cope include showing ourselves compassion and embracing all the emotions, looking back on the memories (even the negative ones), and remembering that healing takes time. Don’t forget—we can always lean on our loved ones and mental health professionals for support.

The 10 Best Online Grief Counseling Services We Tried and Tested

Dr. Anderson explains that, in today’s culture, there’s often a lot of pressure to move on and heal quickly after a loss. So, he’s adamant that the goal shouldn’t be to just move on and get over someone.

Remember to Show Yourself Compassion

Healing takes time, and we shouldshow ourselves patienceand grace as we work through our grief at our own pace.

Frank Anderson, MDMy goal when working with someone who has suffered a loss is to help them hold on to what they need or want to hold on to and to let go of what no longer serves them or needs to be carried.

Frank Anderson, MD

My goal when working with someone who has suffered a loss is to help them hold on to what they need or want to hold on to and to let go of what no longer serves them or needs to be carried.

Allow Yourself to Experience a Range of Emotions

Instead of focusing on distinctphases of griefand trying to rush through them, research actually showsthat it can be harmful to stick so staunchly to these preconceived ideas of what the stages will look like, especially for people who don’t feel like that has been their experience.

Anderson describes the fairly common experience of someone dealing with a loss: they receive an overflow of love and support in the immediate aftermath of the loss then experiencefeelings of isolationas everyone else tends to go back to normal.

Remember That Healing Takes Time

While it’s easy to fall into feeling like you need to move on, it’s OK to take time to grieve. Dr. Anderson reiterates that it takes time to process all of the feelings that accompany a loss, and people should feel comfortable taking as much time as they need.

He notes that he often finds himself reminding clients that it’s only been a short period of time when theyexpress feelingsof wanting to be past their feelings of grief. “The passage of time is important when dealing with grief and loss,” he says.

‘Time Heals All Wounds:’ Is There Any Truth to This?

Dr. Anderson discusses some ways in which he helps clients heal after some time has passed following the loss of a loved one.

Embrace Memories

In general, Anderson encourages people to embrace memories ordreamsthat continually pop up, even if time has passed.

“I find that people who constantly think about the person or repeatedlyreplay memoriesor scenarios related to their loved one often have parts of them that are trying to keep the memories alive,” says Anderson.

By this, he means that the mind is trying to keep the memory of that person alive and well. While this may feel like you can’t move past something, it could be that your mind is trying to hold on to the memories that brought you joy.

Anderson also specifies that if your mind is constantly replaying something, it may mean that it’s an important memory that could bring you peace as you heal.

Don’t Bury Your Feelings

Dr. Anderson explains that he encourages his clients to focus on what they are feeling in the present moment, which can often lead to healing. When people do this successfully,people will often feel more validatedhaving truly considered what they are feeling.

Finding Meaning From the LossResearch has shownthat many people arrive at a place of healing after they feel that they have found meaning and context from their loss. This is especially relevant when people can allow different feelings to exist at once, meaning that they can accept their sadness and yet still hold on to the meaning of the relationship. This can help people get to a place where it’s easier to regulate their emotions.

Finding Meaning From the Loss

Research has shownthat many people arrive at a place of healing after they feel that they have found meaning and context from their loss. This is especially relevant when people can allow different feelings to exist at once, meaning that they can accept their sadness and yet still hold on to the meaning of the relationship. This can help people get to a place where it’s easier to regulate their emotions.

Remember That Negative Memories Are Normal

It can be especially hard to cope with the loss of a loved one if you feel like younever made peacewith them over something personal. It’s also common for people to keep replaying everything that they could have done to provide them with better mental, emotional, or physical support.

While these things are normal, it’s understandable if they make healing more difficult.

“Negative memoriesor feelings of guilt are also a normal part of the grieving process,” says Dr. Anderson. “I help clients explore the origins of these feelings.”

Especially when clients are continually re-hashing things that they wish they had done, Dr. Anderson says he works to “validate these parts of my client, letting them know I understand why they would feel this way and gently help them come toterms with the vulnerabilityand true lack of control any of us have over the inevitability of loss in our lives.”

While finding meaning after a loss is often mentioned, it can be hard to know exactly what that means.

To help figure this out, researchers followedpeople after the loss of loved ones and checked in with them immediately after, one year, 13 months, and 18 months after their losses.

For their study,they chose to define meaning as the ability to make sense of the event itself and find a benefit in the experience.

Making sense of the loss was important during the first year, and even resulted in less stress. However, benefit-finding was more important in determining the person’s ability to adjust in the long term.

This definitely supports the ideathat the ability to derive meaning while still feeling sadness and other emotions can be critical to getting to a place of healing.

The Type of Loss MattersThe ability to heal can also depend on if the loss was anticipated or sudden. Research has shownthat sudden losses can lead to close family membersexperiencing PTSD, and it can be helpful to considergroup therapy. Families who have had to face caring for a loved one that was dealing with a long-term illness tend to face morefeelings of helplessness,primarily tied to their desire to help care for their loved one when they were alive.

The Type of Loss Matters

The ability to heal can also depend on if the loss was anticipated or sudden. Research has shownthat sudden losses can lead to close family membersexperiencing PTSD, and it can be helpful to considergroup therapy. Families who have had to face caring for a loved one that was dealing with a long-term illness tend to face morefeelings of helplessness,primarily tied to their desire to help care for their loved one when they were alive.

What This Means For YouNo matter where you are in your healing process, it’simportant to prioritize your mental health. Healing is never a straight line, and it can often feel uncomfortable. Try to avoid comparing your healing journey to anyone else and theircoping strategies. Allow yourself to heal at the pace that you need. And never ever feel guilty about reaching out for help frommental health professionalsor from your friends and loved ones.

What This Means For You

No matter where you are in your healing process, it’simportant to prioritize your mental health. Healing is never a straight line, and it can often feel uncomfortable. Try to avoid comparing your healing journey to anyone else and theircoping strategies. Allow yourself to heal at the pace that you need. And never ever feel guilty about reaching out for help frommental health professionalsor from your friends and loved ones.

What to Know About Bereavement Counseling and Therapy

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Stroebe M, Schut H, Boerner K.Cautioning Health-Care Professionals.Omega (Westport). 2017;74(4):455-473. doi:10.1177/0030222817691870Bonanno GA, Kaltman S.Toward an integrative perspective on bereavement. Psychological Bulletin. 1999;125(6):760–776.Davis CG, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Larson J.Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: Two construals of meaning.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.1998;75(2):561–574.Martinez M. “Healing Anxiety Associated With Sudden Loss Trauma Via a Group Art Therapy Experience.“Art Therapy Master’s Theses in Print. 2004, 116.Perreault A, Fothergill-Bourbonnais F, Fiset V.The experience of family members caring for a dying loved one.International Journal of Palliative Nursing.2013;10(3).

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Stroebe M, Schut H, Boerner K.Cautioning Health-Care Professionals.Omega (Westport). 2017;74(4):455-473. doi:10.1177/0030222817691870Bonanno GA, Kaltman S.Toward an integrative perspective on bereavement. Psychological Bulletin. 1999;125(6):760–776.Davis CG, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Larson J.Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: Two construals of meaning.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.1998;75(2):561–574.Martinez M. “Healing Anxiety Associated With Sudden Loss Trauma Via a Group Art Therapy Experience.“Art Therapy Master’s Theses in Print. 2004, 116.Perreault A, Fothergill-Bourbonnais F, Fiset V.The experience of family members caring for a dying loved one.International Journal of Palliative Nursing.2013;10(3).

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Stroebe M, Schut H, Boerner K.Cautioning Health-Care Professionals.Omega (Westport). 2017;74(4):455-473. doi:10.1177/0030222817691870Bonanno GA, Kaltman S.Toward an integrative perspective on bereavement. Psychological Bulletin. 1999;125(6):760–776.Davis CG, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Larson J.Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: Two construals of meaning.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.1998;75(2):561–574.Martinez M. “Healing Anxiety Associated With Sudden Loss Trauma Via a Group Art Therapy Experience.“Art Therapy Master’s Theses in Print. 2004, 116.Perreault A, Fothergill-Bourbonnais F, Fiset V.The experience of family members caring for a dying loved one.International Journal of Palliative Nursing.2013;10(3).

Stroebe M, Schut H, Boerner K.Cautioning Health-Care Professionals.Omega (Westport). 2017;74(4):455-473. doi:10.1177/0030222817691870

Bonanno GA, Kaltman S.Toward an integrative perspective on bereavement. Psychological Bulletin. 1999;125(6):760–776.

Davis CG, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Larson J.Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: Two construals of meaning.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.1998;75(2):561–574.

Martinez M. “Healing Anxiety Associated With Sudden Loss Trauma Via a Group Art Therapy Experience.“Art Therapy Master’s Theses in Print. 2004, 116.

Perreault A, Fothergill-Bourbonnais F, Fiset V.The experience of family members caring for a dying loved one.International Journal of Palliative Nursing.2013;10(3).

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