Skip to main content

Grief During the Holidays

The holiday season can be an especially difficult time to grieve the loss of a loved one. Your sense of loss can be magnified during family gatherings, holiday traditions and meaningful events. The need for support is the greatest during the holidays. Focus on good memories and take comfort with family and friends. There are a number of ways you can deal with grief during the holiday season to get through this difficult time.

  • Talk about your emotions with loved ones. Share stories and favorite memories.

  • Be honest about how you’d like to spend your time this holiday season, and don’t do more than you want. If dinner with family or friends doesn’t feel right, develop an alternative option during these tough times.

  • Familiar traditions may be comforting, but it is important to acknowledge that the holidays will not be the same after a loss. Some find comfort in new experiences, a change in location for family celebrations or a new menu.

  • Holiday activities can also cause stress. New activities can also bring about a sense of ease, and scaling back holiday plans may be beneficial as well.

  • Limit holiday parties to small gatherings with those closest to you, and don’t hesitate to scale back your usual holiday activities. Less decorations, greeting cards or events will give you a break from the added stress at this time of year.

  • Gift-giving can be challenging as you grieve the loss of a loved one. Consider alternate options to coping with grief. According to the AARP, in times of loss we often want to do something that will make a difference.

  • Consider shopping online, or making a donation in a loved one’s name to a charity or cause that he or she cherished. Volunteer and give your time and talent to that charity.

There is no right or wrong way to handle the holiday season after a loss. Find unique ways to honor your loved one and incorporate their memory into the holidays.


—-

Heritage Ministries, the parent company of Rolling Fields, was founded as the Orphanage and Homes of the Free Methodist Church in 1886 and has grown from its original campus in Gerry, NY, to six locations in New York with additional affiliations in the states of Washington, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. As a not-for-profit provider of senior care and housing, Heritage is a leader in the industry, employing approximately 1,500 team members, and serving over 2,500 individuals annually. With locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Washington, Heritage and its affiliates provide rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, independent retirement housing, and assisted living. The Homestead Stables provides intergenerational equestrian opportunities as well as boarding, training, and lessons. In addition, childcare is provided at two campuses, allowing for intergenerational programs. For more information on Heritage Ministries, please visit www.heritage1886.org.



from Blog - Rolling Fields Elder Care Community https://ift.tt/34g9DR4
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For Family Caregivers, A New Year’s Resolution Can Inspire Your Best Year Yet

If you are among the 8% of Americans who actually accomplish their New Year’s resolution goals , well done! However, if you are like the majority of us, you’ve given up prior to even turning the calendar page to February. Although it is undoubtedly commendable to attempt to better ourselves by resolving to lose 10 pounds or with healthier living, for busy family caregivers, there are truly meaningful, achievable goals that will improve life all through the year. Consider these recommendations: Find joy. Looking after somebody else is a labor of love, but can also bring about challenges, which makes it hard to concentrate on the daily benefits that spark joy. Devote some time on a daily basis to pause and discover a reason to smile. Bring a sense of humor to your daily caregiving tasks, sharing laughter together with your loved one. Enjoy the feeling of the sunlight shining through the window as you’re folding laundry. And make time to call someone who lifts your spirits for a brief...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dads and Pops: Your Good Health Matters to Us 

Did you know  June is  Men’s Health Month  and Father’s Day anchors Men’s Health Week ?   Celebrate dad on Father’s Day and thank him for all he  has  done, but  also  make sure to seize an opportunity sometime this month to have a conversation with him about his health. This awareness campaign has the critical purpose of informing men   that avoiding preventive healthcare puts them at real and serious risk of  contracting a disease or  acquiring  a chronic condition.   Studies consistently  show the numbers go against men , particularly as they advance into their senior years.   Even with dramatic advances in diagnosis and treatment over the past 100 years, men’s life expectancy still lags significantly behind women. According to  Harvard Health ,  the gap is widening. In 1900, the life expectancy for women was 48.3 years vs. 46.3 for men. In 2017, it was 81.1 years for women vs. 76.1 for men. Harvard...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Does Caregiving Stress Affect Your Career?

Lots of caregivers believe that the stress they experience as a part of caregiving is something that they only experience in that situation. But stress doesn’t care where you are or what you’re doing. If you ignore it, you’ll find the effects of stress following you even to your career and that can be bad for multiple reasons. Stress Is Everywhere Stress is a normal part of life. It’s literally everywhere and it takes the form of both “good” stress and “bad” stress. So-called good stress makes you alert to dangers and can keep you from making mistakes that could prove harmful to you. Bad stress is stress that takes a toll on you mentally and physically. It’s a result of being hypervigilant for too long. Stress Doesn’t Stay in Categories Something else to understand about stress is that it doesn’t stay boxed up neatly. Your stress as a caregiver will flow into the rest of your life, including your career and your other relationships, unless you take steps to manage it appropriat...
Post a Comment
Read more