Losing someone close to you, even if they had been ill for some time, can be very upsetting. The grief can be challenging to overcome, particularly if you are also dealing with a mental health or substance use issue. It is okay to grieve. In fact, it is natural to spend some time after losing someone adjusting to the change. As you are processing your loss, it can be helpful to read through these 10 quotes about losing a loved one.
Grieving is Normal
The process of grieving is, quite simply, adjusting to your loss. Being sad after losing a loved one is a natural reaction. As Abigail Nathanson, professor of grief and trauma at New York University, says, “grief isn’t an illness. It’s not a sign something went wrong. It’s actually a sign something is going right.” She adds that “we’re hardwired to seek out relationships, and we’re hardwired to mourn when they end.”
There are a number of beneficial ways to work through the grieving process. One is to lean on a positive network of supportive friends and family members. You might also discuss your struggles with a mental health professional. You can also read through quotes about losing a loved one that are inspirational and remind you that you are not alone in your feelings of loss.
Quotes About Keeping the Memories
As you work through your loss of a loved one, cherish the memories you have of them. There were certainly good times and bad, and each of those can help keep your loved one close in your mind and in your heart.
“I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories.”—Leo Buscaglia, author, motivational speaker, and professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California
“Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.”—Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer
Quotes About Learning to Live with Your Loss
Finding support and comfort after losing your loved one can be critical to your ability to move on. Even then, though, you will continue to remember your loved one and feel the loss in your life. The key is to learn how to manage your grief, for your mental and emotional health and well-being.
“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.”—Elizabeth Kubler Ross, author of On Grief and Grieving
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”—Helen Keller, American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer
“Grief is like the ocean. It comes in waves, sometimes calm and sometimes overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” —Vicki Harrison, author
“The only cure for grief is to grieve.” —Earl Grollman, writer
Quotes About Healing
Remembering the person you were close to and honoring that memory through your own life can be incredibly healing after losing a loved one.
“If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh, author
“When those you love die, the best you can do is honor their spirit for as long as you live. You make a commitment that you’re going to take whatever lesson that person or animal was trying to teach you, and you make it true in your own life. It’s a positive way to keep their spirit alive in the world by keeping it alive in yourself.” —Patrick Swayze, actor
“I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process.” —C.S. Lewis, author and lay theologian
“Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.” —Leo Tolstoy, author
Dual Diagnosis Support for Men
When you are grieving after losing a loved one, we are here to support you in your recovery. At PACE Recovery, we offer integrated treatment that will address the mental health and substance use issues you may be dealing with now. We address your whole person, including your spiritual, medical, psychosocial, and relational facets.
The professionals at PACE understand the challenges you are facing during this period of isolation and uncertainty. We’re here to help. Our men’s-only programming has transformed hundreds of lives over the years, and we believe that you can recover. To learn more about our mental health and addiction services, contact our Admissions team.
