What to do if you are affected with a traumatic situation? It is always agonizing if you lose a loved one and traumatic sudden death can take longer to heal from. The main trauma is knowing that your loved one is dead. Being informed that they have to go in and see the conditions that are left behind is another. It's not something that should be left for a family member to manage.
When such a situation have an impact on a family member or the whole family, the entire family experiences the consequences. Traumatic events have the ability to interrupt vital functions of the family. So here are a few steps that you can do if you have been affected by a traumatic death:
First and foremost grant yourself time to grieve and recognise your loss, try not to avoid it by keeping busy.
It is all right to be hurting and perfectly normal to feel sad or miss the person who has died.
Every one at some phase has lost someone close to them and everyone will react differently. Do not resemble how you are grieving to someone else. We are unique, that is what makes us human.
Take sufficient rest, it is normal to feel tired or emotionally empty. Do things that help you relax, taking a bath, reading, listening to music etc
Take each second/minute/hour/day/week as it comes. Whatever is easier to bear.
Do not be afraid to speak to your friends if you are finding it hard to cope.
Write a journal about how you are feeling, if it helps, then you can write as though you are writing to your loved one.
Get a day time schedule going, plan in things you enjoy doing i.e. meeting a friend.
It is fine to talk about your loved one and share your memories with others.
Go out in the fresh air for walk. Walking will release the tension in your body that are our natural ‘feel good’ factors.
Accept any support from friends whether it is functional or emotional. People would not offer if they did not want to help. They offer because they care. Don’t be proud