How to deal with the loss of a friend

The loss of a friend can be a real daunting incident. You might require a lot of time and support to deal with the incident and get over it. The memories, the happy moments, the days of togetherness, all will come flooding back to you for many years to come and it is important that you learn to deal with it.

Grieve the loss

The loss of a friend who was very close to you will create a deep wound in your mind. It is important to grieve the loss with his/her family and friends so that all the pent up emotions are out. Keeping the pain and loss in your mind will only lead to more pain and mental trauma. Try to consciously avoid keeping your emotions within yourself. Cry as much as you want in private and public so that you feel relieved after a point of time. Grieving is a natural process where you will slowly come to terms with the loss and learn to accept the loss. The fact that you will never see or have the support of your friend can be very traumatizing, especially if you were very deeply attached to this friend and he/she was your only bosom friend. Share your sorrow with your friend’s near and dear ones. Talk to them about the moments you cherish with your friend and do your best to bring them out of the trauma.

Support groups are important

Loss of a friend who has been very deeply attached to you will leave a void in your life. This can be deeply troubling for you and the absence of someone who has always been there for you as a pillar of support can make you mentally weak. At such times, you must make sure that you have support groups around you to help you recover from the loss. Do not let yourself be alone as this can increase the sorrow manifold and lead to depression. Just as your friend’s loved ones require support and help to get over the loss, you too need support from friends and family as you could have been equally or even more close to your friend than his parents. Seek the help of other friends to help you keep away from the loneliness and bring your out of the loss. It might take months or even years to get over the loss of a friend who has been very close to you for many years.

Rejoice old memories

Talking about your friend to others and rejoicing and taking pride in him are the best ways to pay tribute to him. Ensure that you keep the memories alive so that your friend’s face does not fade away in your mind. Allow yourself to bask in these memories whenever time permits and make it a point to tell about your friend to your loved ones so that they too appreciate your friend’s good qualities. Rejoicing in the memories and time that you spent with your friend will also help you deal with the situation with maturity rather than be weighed down by guilt and grief.

Talk about your friend’s good deeds

Talking to others about your friend is a great way to remember him. You can talk about your friend to your family, to your other friends and also to others whom you are close to. This will help you remember him/her quite often and also keep the memories fresh in your mind. These memories will be the basis on which you can make other friendships and you must always make it a point to tell your other dear friends about the friend that you lost and who was a strong support during your school or college days.

Think of something to honour your friend

Doing something in your friend’s name will help you spread the news about the good deeds he/she has done and the causes that your friend believed in. This can be in the form of raising money for a cause that your friend believed in, donating money in your friend’s name, volunteer for work in a charity organisation that your friend was involved in, compiling an album of photos taken together and gift to your friend’s parents or do something else that you think would make your friend’s near and dear ones happy. This will not only make you happy, but also your friend’s loved ones