Christmas Can Start New Grieving For Loved Ones

It can be tough carrying on after losing a loved one, especially during the holidays.

Livingston Regional Hospital Director of Social Work Kelly Tripp said being around family during Christmas can often begin a new layer of grief within a person. Tripp said it is fairly common for people to deal with grief during Christmas as they can feel lonely or empty.

“I feel like that sometimes can be one of the harder things is if that person is a loved one that you lived with, especially for years upon years or even a short time that their presence in the home is so missed,” Tripp said.

Tripp said many families have traditions during Christmas and continuing those traditions despite a loved one not being there can help a person heal. Tripp said most times people do not ever get over a loved one but sharing the grief with family is one of the best ways to deal with grief.

“Families reaching out to that loved one that’s grieving and just time is the most precious gift that we can give,” Tripp said. “So giving of your time to that one that is left here is pretty essential even when they say I don’t want to.”

Tripp said losing a young family member can be extremely tough especially if the death was unexpected.

“Sometimes if someone dies young you don’t have answers and you don’t have the why which we think will help but it doesn’t always help,” Tripp said. “Then just it’s a void, it’s an empty place in our heart, it’s an empty place in our spirit, and in our home many times.”

Tripp said bottling up the grief is not a good way to handle the grief. Tripp said it is okay to walk away from family temporarily to compose yourself. Tripp said don’t be afraid to show emotion as you may be sad a loved one is not there but you can still enjoy the time with the family members who are still there.