Losing the people close to your heart will never be easy. Even after you go through the five stages of grief, moving on with your life without their presence will leave you feeling empty and sad on most days. It’s not something you can immediately forget because it can take months or even years to get used to that pain.
People experience grief in different ways. And while there’s no best way to overcome that pain, there are plenty of methods for you to remember your loved ones without wallowing in the emptiness they left behind.
Death, loss, and pain are all part of life. Knowing how to exist in a world without the people you love can be hard, but not impossible. In fact, here are a few ways you can honor their memory and keep them alive in your heart:
Visit their Grave and Talk to Them
Drop by the place of their eternal rest even on days without an occasion. Remembering those who passed on isn’t just reserved for All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. You can do it every day if you want. On the days you miss their company, visit their grave, and speak to them as if they are there with you.
You can also leave flowers or pictures on their gravestones. You can do anything that you want as long as it doesn’t pose a danger to other people in the cemetery. Take your time there too. Don’t worry about having strangers awkwardly stare at you as you spend time on your beloved’s grave.
Celebrate their Birthdays with a Tradition
Just because they are no longer with you, it doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate their birthdays anymore. A good way to honor the dead is by establishing new traditions in place of their celebration. Doing so will keep their memory alive while giving you and the other people who want to remember them an avenue to bond.
For instance, every year on their birthday, you can plant a tree or release balloons in their honor. You can also hold a fundraising event for a cause that was close to their heart or donate to a charity that your loved one supported while they were still alive.
Hold onto a Keepsake
You can be as sentimental as you want if it means you can accept the fact that they can no longer be in your life. Holding on to something that belonged to them is another great way to remember your loved ones.
Saving their favorite t-shirt or wearing their preferred perfume are examples of holding onto a keepsake. You can also wear a locket with their picture around your neck or wear their bracelet or ring for more subtle pieces. Keeping items that hold a significant memory of the deceased will allow you to remember them more often.
Live Your Best Life
If there’s one thing your loved one would hate the most when they die, it’s seeing you unable to move on from their death. You can take your time with the grieving process, but you shouldn’t let the death of your loved one hinder you from living your best life.
You can always remember them in different ways you deem fit, and you can be sad about the pain their death caused you. However, there is a fine line between honoring their death and wanting to follow them onto the next life.
Whatever the cause of their death, you have to live your life in the best way possible for both of you. Take their death as a reminder that life is short and that you shouldn’t be wasting it on meaningless endeavors. Instead, do your best to make every day count and worthwhile.
Death usually means the end of life, yet it can also mark the beginning of a new one. A new life without the existence of the one who died can be a hard place to begin, especially if you no longer find meaning in it.
But knowing that one day, the world could be a better place for you again can be enough of a reason to keep living. So remember them in every possible way you can think of. Keep their memory alive by sharing stories of their youth and how much of an impact their existence gave you. Ultimately, live your best life for both of you.
