Grief is something that everyone has to deal with at some point in their lives, whether you’re a successful businessowner, a professional artist, a salaried employee, a student, or a stay-at-home parent, or anything else you can think of. Success cannot protect you from the loss of a loved one.
Death is also one of the most difficult things to cope with, especially if you’ve lost someone who was a big part of your life. There’s a difference between the grief you experience when you lose someone suddenly and when you lose someone after a long illness. This article will explore how you can cope with a sudden or unexpected death.
Three Practical Steps to Coping With Sudden Death
1. Why is sudden death hard to manage?
Coping With Sudden Death can have a variety of causes. Most people think of accidents and homicides as sudden deaths, but they also include death by natural causes that happen very quickly, like a cardiac event in a young person who has no history of heart problems, or an illness that progresses extremely quickly.
An unexpected death can feel unreal, like the ground has dropped out from under you. As well as the emotional fallout, you might also have to cope with practical things. For example, you might have lost the other parent of your children, meaning you suddenly have to not only work to care for your children, but you also have to pull double duty as a parent with less support.
2. Wrongful sudden death
As well as the grief you might expect to have to deal with after the death of a loved one, sudden deaths can also be unjust. While nobody can predict or help a sudden cardiac event, some accidental deaths are entirely preventable.
The most common cause of preventable coping with sudden deaths is car accidents. Car crashes happen every day, and while weather conditions and other outside sources can cause them, many crashes happen because of unsafe driving.
In these situations, you might be entitled to compensation to help you with the financial difficulties caused by a sudden death. Depending on the circumstances, you might have to use different lawyers to fight your case. For example, if someone died in an accident at sea, you would need to consult the dohsa (Death on the High Seas Act).
3. Recovering emotionally
Whether you’re entitled to compensation or not, nothing will take the pain of loss away completely. You might have to deal with complex emotions as you try to process the loss, as well as the shock of coping with sudden death. This, combined with getting on with the rest of your life and responsibilities, might feel impossible.
If you’re struggling to cope, grief counseling can be a great way to help you process your emotions in a healthier manner. This gives you a safe environment to work through what you’re feeling and why, and it also gives you the tools you need to continue with your life.
It’s going to hurt for a while, but you can get back on your feet no matter what.
