Dealing with Depression due to a Loved Ones Death
We read about it in books, we see it in plays, we watch it in movies, and we even hear it in mournful songs. Perhaps most moving of all, however, is that we experience death it in real life. In Mitch Albom’s book Tuesdays with Morrie, he writes, “Maybe death is the great equalizer, the one big thing that can finally make strangers shed a tear for one another.” Even closer to the heart, however, is when you lose someone you love to this great equalizer. Losing a life partner, a relative, a friend, or any loved one whom you care for deeply can be devastating and extremely difficult to cope with. If you are experiencing the loss of a loved one and you are having a hard time getting over your depression, you may want to give the advice in this article some thought.
Coping with a loved one’s death
Perhaps the most important thing to do when you lose a loved one is to allow yourself to grieve. Letting out your emotions by crying or even simply spending some time alone can help you in venting out your feelings and coming to a more peaceful resolve. The worst thing you can do is to let your feelings of depression stay inside of you, potentially causing more stress, sadness, and a deeper depression. Once you have let your feelings out, try to spend some time thinking of more positive things, such as how thankful you are to have lived with and experienced life with your loved one. This may bring strong feelings of sadness, but your focus should be on gratitude and how the person has made your life happier and more fulfilling. Finally, surround yourself with relatives and friends who can give you support, cheer you up, and help you cope with your loss.
Getting professional help for severe cases
If you are experiencing deep depression that you cannot get over with, you may want to consider getting professional help. Some of the signs that say you need help from a professional include the inability to get back into the swing of day-to-day life, loss of appetite, or if you feel like your depression is having an effect on your overall outlook on life. Professional help can help you get your emotions and your life back in order.
Related questions:
1. How can I cope with the death of a loved one?
2. Do I need professional help if I can’t get over my depression?
3. Are there professionals who specialize in dealing with depression over the death of a loved one?
Depression due to a loved ones death is a normal process of grieving but as the saying goes ” it is better said than done.” Yes we all know that depression is a normal part of the grieving process from denial to anger to bargaining and then depression and last acceptance but no one can really explain how hurtful it is to lose someone you loved. Depression, I believe is the most painful and longest part of the grieving process. It can take months or even years to get over it and to proceed to acceptance stage of grieving. Even the ones that had experienced this and that already felt it cannot emphasized or express how it is to be depressed because of this hurtful experience. In my experience It was really painful. It was like feeling helpless and useless. You blame yourself for what happened. Nothing can help. Even the cries and the persons around you. Time is the one that helped me. Yes its true time is the only thing that helped me overcome the depression. As the time goes by it just heals every bit of the pain. Day by day it just felt less painful and I just realize that death is a thing that we cannot control or stop. It will come and go. You just need to be ready with it and life must go on. Lucky for the ones that overcomes this depression even for a long time but others don’t. Many breaks down and their depression leads to major depression. An illness that needs professional help to be treated.
The death of loved ones is naturally worth grieving. But death is one certain thing that happens in life. No one can predict when it would happen nor can it be prevented. Surely, when it happens to our loved ones, it is mournful and could lead to depression. Sometimes we question why it happened so soon, or why it should happen to the ones we love. Yes, the fact remains that death is part of human existence. Still, there are lot’s of questions to be asked due to the different causes of death. There is natural death, accidental death and intentional death. And these three differences result also in different reactions from family members. Some may grieve for their entire lives, some may remain in shock, or it may be overcome easily. But I still believe that every grievance can be overcome if we are just willing to do it. No matter if there are some professionals who can extend help to lessen the grieve; the outcome still depends on us.
Losing a loved one is truly one of the most excruciatingly painful experiences one has to go through in life. Getting over someone’s loss will be very hard especially if these were the people we grew up and built a strong relationship with… We need to grieve in order for us to release all the pain and unresolved feelings. There are 5 stages of the grieving process. Denial is the first stage, and it is when the loved ones refuse to accept what is about to come. Then comes anger, then bargaining where one feels the need to ask for extra time to spend with the dying person, then depression, which might take longer to get through compared to other stages because different people have different ways of coping. Lastly, there is acceptance, which is pretty self explanatory. A normal grieving person goes through all these stages, they only differ in the amount they spend to complete each phase. It is unhealthy however, to get stuck in any one stage. In some cases, when depression becomes too severe, it would be necessary to seek professional assistance and support from other family members. It should not be taken as a sign of weakness, but as a cry for help, for losing a loved one is like losing a part of someone’s life.
Nothing is more depressing than a losing a loved one especially if that person is close to us. We, as human beings, no matter how tough we are have the normal reaction of a lost to be sorrowful and grieve. It is normal to grieve for a week or two.What is abnormal is that when your depression becomes severe and it affects your work, your social relationships and yourself. If you are experiencing chronic depression due to a lost of a loved one, then you must stop and reflect. Think that this is not what your loved one would have wanted you to do if he or she is alive. You must put in your mind that death is a natural process and it happens to all of us. You must help yourself to move on and live life to the fullest for you’ll never know when your time will come.
I’ve read once that ‘All emotional pains only lasted for 12 minutes, anything longer than that is self inflicted.’ I know it really hurts when someone you love was gone. Especially, when that someone has been with you in everything that you do,during your ups and down and when everything that you see just reminds you of that lost person. Many people undergo depression during these situation. Some succumbs to alcohol or drugs and others commit suicide. It’s ok to be sad and mourn for the lost of someone you really love, but always remember that the world won’t stop here. Everything will continue to move on its proper places and you shouldn’t be left. besides, always remember that the one you love won’t like seeing you lose hope and the will to live. Don’t make them feel sad.
Ask anyone what his fear is and most likely you’ll get Death. While it is true that Death is a very scary thing, we sometimes ask, is it really death that we fear or is it the thought that death takes away everything we want, love or hope for. Death of a loved one, may it be a pet, a family member, anyone you’re related to or even a flower in your pot, can definitely put you down. Death as we all know is very inevitable. We can never cheat or escape it. Very easy to say but for sure anyone will try to skip it. The very thought of being left behind is frightening, much more if it is caused by the passing of someone you care or love. You hardly imagine how to continue with each day, especially if you were used to being with that someone and then suddenly he’s gone. Gone and can never come back, that’s what causes depression. How to deal with it varies from person to person. Each of us has our own way of dealing with life’s offerings. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t deprive ourselves from letting off the steam. it’s true that it takes time but if we allow acceptance to get into our system, we’ll be able to get back into life and move on. Cry, shout, grieve, mourn, they’re all free. do so if that will ease up your emotions. but put in mind that prolonging the emotional agony will only put you down more. prayer helps, do it. it’s also free.