Facing Grief After the Death of a Loved One Can Be the Key to a Life of Health and Wholeness
Unprocessed grief is a very dangerous emotion to hold within yourself, for both you and the people around you. It can lead people to sabotage their own lives or hinder their ability to move forward in life even when they had all of the best intentions to do so. Unfortunately, many people have never been taught to deal with grief healthily and as a result are stuck dealing with confusing emotions, fractured relationships, and lives that can feel like they just are not going anywhere.
This relationship between facing grief and being able to move through it in a healthy way was discussed at length by Prince Harry in a recent podcast with Bryony Gordon of Mad World. In the interview, Prince Harry addressed his personal struggle with dealing with the loss of his mother, grief he spent 20 years denying.
Raised in the spotlight, in a culture where keeping up appearances and holding it together are paramount, Prince Harry struggled through early adulthood and didn’t know why. A few very public drunken escapades and the expectation that feelings were not to be discussed led Harry to a very dark place. Some blamed it on traumatic experiences he’d had while serving in Afghanistan, but deep down Harry knew that wasn’t the cause.
His rage grew and he had no outlet. Thankfully, he started talking – to family members and to a therapist. After that, things began to shift. He slowly realized that the public grieving he was forced to do as a child did not adequately release his intense emotions. He took up boxing to deal with his anger and started a non-profit organization to help others, passionate about spreading the word that grief should not be suppressed.
Prince Harry discovered that simple and honest conversation about death and grief were the key to healing. In doing so, he processed his feelings and moved on from the death of his mother in a healthy way. Now he enjoys helping others move through grief and other painful emotions by listening to their problems, a technique, he says, that is sometimes all you need to face grief and gain clarity of mind about your feelings.
Clarity in the face of grief is important not only to keep moving forward in your life and process your emotions in a healthy way, but it’s also necessary to be able to make the important decisions often faced when someone dies – decisions often not considered until it’s too late. The unfortunate result is a tough transition when a loved one dies.
To be proactive and reduce the strain on your family when you die so that they can focus on moving through their grief instead of stuffing the feelings so they can deal with all of the unresolved issues you’re leaving behind, create a comprehensive estate plan that makes it easy for the people you love.
If you are ready to take that step toward making things as easy as possible for the people you love in the event of your incapacity or death, start by sitting down with us. As your Personal Family Lawyer®, we can walk you through creating an Will and Trust that will protect what you value most. We always begin with a Family Wealth Planning Session so you can get informed, educated and empowered to make the right choices for the people you love. Give your family the best shot you can give them by taking a burden off of their shoulders when it comes time for them to mourn. Contact us today.
This article is a service of Levi Alexander, Personal Family Lawyer®. We don’t just draft documents, we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That’s why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $750 session at no charge.
