Coping With Grief Over Christmas

Christmas and the festive season in general can be an amazing time that brings together families and friends who may not get to spend a lot of time together during the rest of the year. It gives us time to reflect on the year that has past and we get to indulge in family, food and gifts, but the festive season isn’t always an amazing time for everyone.

Loss, bereavement and experiencing grief over the Christmas period is a common battle for many people. Whether you lose somebody close to the festivities or you are reminded of loneliness or sadness of a lost loved one during the family-orientated season, grief can be hard to deal with over Christmas.

Here at Thomas Brothers, we understand and acknowledge that sometimes the festive season can be tough for some people, and in this post we are sharing our top tips for coping with grief over Christmas.

Reflect & Remember

The worst thing that you can do is suppress and ignore the emotions you are dealing with at this difficult time for you and your family. It is important to use the down time of the festive season to reflect and remember your loved one, whether that means doing that with family and friends, or you can do so alone, or a combination of the two.

Special occasions like Christmas and New Year can be a great opportunity to reflect on happier times and memories you had with your lost loved one.

Self Care Is Key

The worst thing you can do in the hustle and bustle of the festive season, is neglect yourself. Make sure you put aside time to care for yourself and do things that will help you to get through an intensely difficult time for you.

Everybody has a different standpoint on their self care routines, whatever you feel that you need to do to look after you should be a huge priority for you and others should be respectful of that.

Spend Time With The People You Love & Cherish

This time of year is the perfect time to connect with family and friends who you love and cherish, something that can be taken for granted in the routine of the rest of the year. Take the opportunity to spend the time with those that you love, getting together with family and friends can be a great way to work towards healing from the grief you’re experiencing.

However you intend to spend the festive season, make sure that you are kind to yourself and take each day a step at a time. Don’t force yourself to do things or take part in activities that you feel will have a negative impact on you, but definitely take the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones who will cherish you and your company this Christmas.