Most of us are fortunate to be surrounded by people we love and always want by our sides. The thought of losing any one of them is hard to imagine. Losing a loved can be heart wrenching but death is an inevitable part of life. The death of a loved one always seems to be sudden however gradual the dying may be. Even though getting over the initial shock may be easy for some, the memories of time spent together make grieving difficult for everyone. Overcoming personal loss can be challenging especially when you have lost someone recently. Grief is like the sea, on some days you feel calm and composed while on others you feel like the waves of painful memories keep crashing in your mind.

Some people act like they’re not affected by the loss of their loved ones and put up a facade for the world to show how everything is fine, but on the inside, they’re struggling under the weight of the loss they’ve suffered while there are others who are happy one moment but crying uncontrollably the next. Grieving is a natural process and there is no right or wrong way to it. The grieving process begins with denial and ends with acceptance. The sooner you accept that your loved one has gone to a better place, the faster you will start healing.

Everyone heals in different ways, but anyone dealing with loss can take advantage of some tips to make the process a little easier.

• Feel free to express your emotions and cry whenever you need without the fear of being judged.

• Tell people when you need them to just listen without giving advice.

• Find comfort in your faith by participating in spiritual activities.

It is good to reach out for help when the pain is too much to bear and you feel that speaking to a professional may be useful. Counselling provides people with a safe space where trained professionals can help in identifying and removing any blockers that prevent you from grieving in a healthy manner.Counsellors can even help you deal with trauma from the past or address any guilt that you may be carrying after the death of a loved one.

Grief does not totally go away, and that is okay. With time, you learn to cope with your grief and the painful memories become less frequent as well as less intense.