Are you having a hard time getting excited about the holidays? If this is your first holiday season dealing with the loss of a loved one, it’s easy to shut the door and hide out after the memorial service is over. However, don’t give in to the solitude. Make an effort this season and surround yourself with family and friends who care about you. The benefits will go a long way toward helping you through this difficult time.

5 Steps For Dealing With Loss This Holiday Season

Create A Schedule For Yourself

Not having a set plan for the holidays can be stressful enough, even for those who aren’t grieving. Prepare yourself by creating a schedule and sticking to it. Block out time for you to be alone and factor in which functions you’re planning to attend. This will help you see what’s coming up each week and will greatly decrease any anxiety you may be experiencing.

Remember Your Loved One

Just because they’re gone doesn’t mean you can’t do something special for them this holiday season. Set an extra place at the table. Pick out a bouquet of their favorite flowers. Lay out some of your favorite photographs. Whatever you choose, make some time to remember your loved one and celebrate the life they lived.

Try Something Different

Sometimes, making a small change or implementing a new activity will help ease the grieving process during the holidays. In honor of your loved one, you could donate a gift to charity or bake a batch of cookies for your local nursing home. Serving others is a great way to spread the holiday cheer and will provide a beneficial outlet for your grief.

Accept Help From Others

Losing a loved one is hard, and often all a person needs is to be left alone. But once you start feeling up to it, don’t hesitate to take people up on their offers to help. Whether it’s an afternoon of sipping tea and talking with a close friend or allowing your relatives to come by and thoroughly clean your home, you’ll all benefit from the interaction.

Don’t Overdo It

Know your limits. While it’s a good idea to get out of the house during the holidays, you have to know when it’s time to stay in. Grief is a complex emotion that can come out of nowhere when you least expect it, so give yourself plenty of time to deal with it on your own. Take what comfort you can from family get-togethers, but schedule a few hours to yourself.

Specializing in holiday memorial services, cremations, and funeral arrangements, Beecher & Bennett of Hamden, CT, has the resources you need to remember your loved one this holiday season. Call (203) 288-0800 or visit their website for more information about these community memorial services. You can also connect with the funeral home on Facebook.