Loss comes in many stages throughout our lives. It can be anticipated and sometimes it’s unexpected, but it always hurts. Whether it’s death, a separation, a new diagnosis, it always consists of losing a part of yourself or someone you love.
Grieving in college can be particularly difficult because not only are you likely far away from home, you’re stuck in this incredibly busy feedback loop of your schedule that doesn’t have time for loss and sadness. As much as kiss hurts, there are some practical first steps you can take to ease the pain.
Love Yourself First
You can’t be a loving friend, daughter, girlfriend, anything, without loving yourself first. Loving yourself also means allowing yourself to feel emotions. So often we try to mask emotions we feel, especially in times of grief and hardship. Allowing yourself to properly feel emotions is actually vital to being able to process the loss properly, and can help you get back to feeling like yourself in no time.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
You can’t expect to feel your best if you’re getting black out drunk to cope, not exercising, and eating pizza for every meal. Your body is the only one you have and you’ve got to take care of it! Eat a balanced diet! Eat plenty of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains especially, as they are foods proven to boost your mood! Regular exercise helps release your feel good chemicals from your brain and ensures you feel the best as possible!
Find something you love, and someone you love
Spend time with people who make you happy, smile, and feel proud to be you. Rediscover your passion and favorite hobbies. Getting re-involved in things that bring you joy are vital to the grieving process and healing. It allows you to focus your attention on things that you connected with happiness and passion before your lost.
To sum it up, grieving sucks. There’s nothing fun about it. But it happens. The best ways to cope and grieve are to allow yourself to truly feel emotions, maintain a balanced lifestyle, and rediscover your passion. Loss hurts and words can’t always make up for that, but these are scientifically proven strategies in improving quality of life while grieving. I believe in you. I see your efforts. I’m so proud of you. Keep fighting.