Top 10 Grief Tips for Parent Loss:

1. Find a way to honor their memory, examples are; Write a book about them, plant a garden in their memory or plant, cook their favorite dish and share the recipe online or even blog about them and your journey
2. Journal it out, go buy yourself a fancy new journal, then got on pinterest or google and search Grief Journaling prompts.
3. Get therapy. One of the best things a Hospice Therapist told me was “Hospice is the last gift you can give your loved one”. This piece of advice helped me when i felt responsible as my parents Health Care Power of Attorney and End of Life decision maker, I felt Hospice was me giving them a death sentence but in reality it was me giving them the gift to die with dignity. So Therapy is a good way to get closure on some of those hard topics.
4. Special Days and Holidays: Honor their birthday by sending flowers to your local hospice or sending off balloons. At Christmas I make my dads favorite meal and try to keep his traditions alive.
5. Get a Grief Adult coloring book/journal, Here is the link to the one I created on Amazon. Coloring can be therapeutic and there are some guided journal prompts in my book as well so its like a 2 in 1.
6. Pray about how God wants you to proceed without your loved one, there are many comforting scriptures in the bible and He understands your grief.
7. Photos: make their picture your screensaver. Also hire a freelancer to photoshop your loved one with angel wings or into a heavenly scene. It will provide comfort that they are in a pleasant place away from suffering.
8. Create beauty from the ashes. Create some type of charity or nonprofit in their memory. Or just donate to a cause that relates to your parent. My dad always donated to St. Judes Children’s hospital, so i donate a few bucks to them in his honor. My dad had a stroke and my mom had lung cancer. I have donated to the American Stroke Association and lung cancer foundations
9. Advocacy : advocated for Elderly in nursing homes, volutneer. I seen so much need for volunteers in Hospice and Nursing Homes and Hospitals for aging adults. Advocating for others can help you through your grief. Most places require a year of Grief period before you start because volunteering right away can intensify grief.
10. My dad used to say “Do The Thing You Fear the Most and the death of fear is certain”, by living your life to the fullest and facing fears you are honoring your parent(s). Go to an amusement park, try a new food or hobby, live out one of your loved ones dreams. My dad and I were supposed to go to a car show before he died. We didn’t get to do it, but i plan on going to one with my spouse as a way to fulfill that experience I was supposed to have with my dad.