Losing a loved one is never easy, and more often than not, it can leave a hole in a person’s heart forever. People strive to move forward in honor of their friends, family, significant others, and other special persons, but sometimes, time isn’t enough to heal wounds.
When your bereavement feels never-ending, it’s worth knowing how grief comes in different forms and lasts in various ranges. While no grief has a timeline set in stone, there is a difference between normal and complicated grief. For one, you know your emotions are stuck in a complex sense of turmoil when the grief feels just as strong, even after many years pass.
Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning: When Grief Lives Longer Than Expected
No one should have to experience grief, but unfortunately, some unfathomable people are left to mourn. When this happens, it helps to consider James Worden’s four tasks of mourning to ease your aching heart:
1. Accept the Reality of the Loss
At the center of mourning is accepting the reality of your loss and what it means to your new normal. This can be an incredibly difficult step, especially when a loss is unexpected.
When your beloved friend or family member passes away unexpectedly, the reality of their absence can be especially hard to grasp from the start. While healing from a loss like this is an intense process, it’s worth your time and energy. After all, you can’t properly begin to mourn the loss until you accept it.
2. Process the Pain of Grief
Not only is it okay to experience pain in the wake of a loss, but it’s natural to feel it. In fact, it’s actually imperative to your healing. Your unique pain comes in different forms, but it’s crucial to recognize them.
For instance, feelings of guilt can arise, even if you weren’t responsible for the loss. You may feel like it’s your fault when this happens, and you believe you could have done something differently. This can come in the form of a myriad of emotions, such as:
- Rage
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Denial
- Loneliness
- Sadness
- Guilt
- Misery
These emotions are common to all forms of grief, especially when the loss is unexpected, sudden, or diagnosed. The sooner you’re able to admit them, the better you’ll be able to move forward.
3. Adjust to a World Without the Deceased
After you’ve accepted the reality of your loss, then it’s time to adapt to a world without your loved one. When you’re grieving, you may want to restrict yourself from the world. If you do, you run the risk of isolating yourself, which is why it’s crucial to stay open to those who are there to support you.
While you should take time to mourn in whatever way works best for you, it’s important to remember you’re not alone in this process. You’ll need to find certain things to be thankful for every day while also finding ways to fill the void of your loved one’s absence.
4. Find an Enduring Connection with the Deceased in the Midst of Embarking on a New Life
Lastly, you’ll want to find a long-lasting relationship with the deceased. The truth of the matter is this process isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s usually the most difficult of all four tasks. Often, this task necessitates the need for closure, which comes in many forms.
As you grieve, it’s important to be mindful of the end goal: to find a sense of peace and to honor your loved one in a way that makes sense to you. By doing this, you’ll be able to find a new and more meaningful way to honor their memory.
The Bottom Line: The Realities of Moving On from the Death of a Loved One
Grief doesn’t disappear in a day or a week, no matter how much you want it to. It’s impossible to predict how long it’ll take to completely heal, but the sooner you start to find peace, the sooner your grief will lose its grasp on you.
There’s no set timeline for recovering from grief. It takes as long as it takes, and when you think you’re ready, you’ll surely find new ways to honor your loved one.
The Bottom Line: Exploring the Cost-Saving Benefits of Cremation and How It can still Be an Intimate Way to Say Goodbye
If you’re looking for the ideal funeral home in Jacksonville, FL, to send off your special loved one, Evergreen JAX offers affordable cremation services that strive to take the drudgery from an otherwise emotional experience.
We can assist you in the pre-planning arrangements and provide a wide array of funeral homes – from private mausoleums, monuments, and even a cremation garden. Get in touch with us today at (904) 353-3649 to see what we can do to honor your loved one.
