Can parents get over the death of a child? Yes. But it’s going to be a long, painful and difficult process. The grief of a parent is equivalent to none. A lot of parents will agree that it is probably the most painful thing they would ever have to go through in a lifetime.
No matter what the circumstances may be or at what age you lose your child, the hurt is the same. It’s a heavy burden placed on the entire family. But yes, with the help of a strong support system and some form of intervention.
You can acquire these through institutions like a hospice here in Southern Indiana. You can get through this deeply complicated loss. Nobody said it is going to be easy and that you can heal fully, but you can at least try to manage your grief and also help lift the burden placed on the rest of the family.
The Complicated Battle is Packed with a Wide Range of Emotions
There is a range of emotions that parents may feel at a time, brought about by such a deeply complicated loss. There could be guilt, confusion, anger, anxiety, helplessness, yearning, and loneliness, among others.
Dealing with your grief is also about managing all those emotions that come with the loss. And it’s doubly hard because the people around you may have the same feelings, the same amount of grief. That means getting support from them is sometimes impossible.
In that case, getting third party support is the best resort. But their efforts will go to waste if you refuse to help yourself. Here are a few things you can do from your end. Read on.
- Seek help. At times, you may think that you better be alone until you can get up and face life again. But that’s not true. You should never decide to grieve alone. Seek help – whether it’s just from a psychology book, a hospice or compassionate friends and relatives.
- Deal with your grief as a personal journey. You cannot compare yours with other bereaved parents. You can, however, make the others’ experiences become your inspiration of getting through the denial stage, of facing the situation, and of finally coming to terms with the truth that you have just lost a child.
- Take it a day at a time. Never rush things and take as much time as you need to process your loneliness. Although it may already be affecting the rest of the family and may make you feel worse knowing that the others left behind (like your other children, your spouse), you cannot take a short cut. Take baby steps if you must, especially if it’s the only way you can make your grief more bearable to allow you to get back on track of your life at the very least.
People have different ways of dealing with grief, of expressing it, and of managing it completely. Grief is individual. With the help of professionals who are experts in helping others face their situation and getting through the painful process, you will get by, no matter how long it might take.
