Holiday Grief: Strategies for Coping with The Loss of a Loved One

Fadi Xd

Grief doesn’t take a holiday during the holidays. It partners with you, stays by your side, reminding you of its presence in the tiny moments of a laugh in the background or a solemn holiday song that tugs at your heart. It’s like an emotional mosaic where each piece represents the different feelings associated to it: love, anger, frustration, anxiety and sadness. The pieces of the mosaic are place holders for memories, laughter, tears and triggers. Emotional triggers during the holiday season expertly set off the pop-in memories of unresolved issues or lost goodbyes between you and the one you mourn.

For many, ’tis the season is a time to experience joy and cheer and family gatherings. Yet, if you’re mourning during the holidays, it’s a sad reminder of the family members, friends and even pets who have died.

No one reacts in exactly the same way to the death of a loved one. Grief is your experience. No one knows it or feels it in the same way. This is strikingly apparent during the holidays, where coping with the loss can range from the choice to ignore the loss or ignore the holidays.

Neither is recommended.

The struggle to find the calibration between a need for emotional armor, like being in denial or avoidant behavior, like ignoring the festivities…