Have you ever had Death come in and steal everything from you? Maybe you’ve lost a parent, spouse, or a child, and you still can’t seem to crest the surface back to life. When Death comes so close to us, it leaves chaos behind. When I lost my husband I was shocked at how every aspect of my life was hurt. 

1. MENTALLY: You will feel very tired in your brain. The brain kind of goes into a hibernation state to protect itself from the overwhelming devastation of loss. Give your brain time to heal. If you can’t recall numbers, write them down. A trick that may help, just in case you forget your phone, is to write down the numbers and put them inside a magnetic key protector (the things you can hide a key in and then magnetize it to something) and stick it underneath your car. If you have an emergency, you will have numbers with you anywhere you go. 

2. EMOTIONALLY: After a close loss, your emotions will be all over the place. You will potentially have a hard time filtering all the thoughts and feelings you have in a day because your brain is not functioning completely. Journaling your thoughts everyday will help you filter through the daily life choices. You may do a voice memo on your phone or write it out in a paper journal. Whichever method you prefer, this will help you keep from damming up your thought processes. 

3. PHYSICALLY: Loss takes its toll on your body. Many people don’t know that their bodies will be so negatively affected by death. You may feel extremely tired or maybe you can’t sleep at all. You may be really hungry or not able to eat anything. Nobody will respond the exact same way, but you will have some negative experience with your body. Eating well and exercising are the best tools to fight back. Whole foods, and even a walk outside, will help you feel better. If you are feeling extremely fatigued, keep peppermint essential oil in your car to help you stay awake behind the wheel.

4. SPIRITUALLY: God usually takes the blow for our anger against Death. However, it is God that gave us the answer to Death through Jesus. Because of Jesus, Death no longer gets the final say, and we have hope to be with the people we love again one day. If you struggle with anger with God, He understands. You are not the first person to be angry with God and you won’t be the last. Be honest with God about the way that you feel. Trust me, He is BIG enough to handle it. When you are honest with yourself and God about the way that you feel, this opens up the pathway for healing. 

We can resurface to life after experiencing death. Eventually, we won’t feel like every part of us has been annihilated. Use these tips to help you for as long as you need. Share with someone else who may need these tips, whether they have suffered loss or not.