Losing a child is one of the hardest things for a parent to experience. It can make you feel like a piece of yourself was lost with your child and it changes your outlook on life. After the funeral service, you have to face reality. It can be hard to move on when you do not know how to cope with the pain from your loss. Here are three ways to deal with losing a child.
Grief Counseling
If your grieving is causing you extreme distress, then it is time to see a mental health specialist. Grief counseling is a form of psychotherapy that helps you to cope with the grief after losing a loved one. Psychotherapy uses psychological methods with a focus on helping you to heal. It also help you with finding more constructive ways to cope with problems in your life.
Counseling can help you and your family. First, you may want to go through individual counseling before inviting your loved ones. This type of counseling also give you access to support groups. Support groups can connect you with people who has gone through the same experience.
The point of grief counseling is to help you to learn to live with losing your child. One of the methods counselors use is the five stages of grief, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These steps help you to understand what you are feeling. For more information, talk to a center that offer grief counseling (such as Gillies Funeral Chapel).
Hold A Memorial
Honoring your child's memory is one of the ways to get over your pain. You can do this by having a memorial gathering. It can be a very formal event or a small dinner with just family.
A memorial allows you to remember the best moments of your child's life. It also allow family and friends to share pictures and stories. One of the best things about memorial services is you can have one any time after your child has died.
Donate In Your Child's Name
Most parents do not want their child to be forgotten. You can do this by making a donation or establishing a foundation. For example, you can make a donation to your child's school and ask them to purchase books in his or her name. Setting up a scholarship is another way to honor your child. It helps to establish a foundation that represent what your child stood for or cared about.
Pain and loss is universal, but the grieving process is a very personal experience. It is hard to understand the pain of losing a child unless you go through it. Losing a child is something you will never get over, but you can learn to live with it.