<center><h3>Recently, I have been working with a few people who are struggling with grief and loss. </h3>

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<center><a href="http://heartlinkconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/GriefLoss-1080x675.jpg">Image Source</a></center>

Since we are all born with an expiration date, how do we deal with those in our life who depart before us? We spend much of our daily life ignoring our mortality. There is even a theory in the social sciences known as “Terror Management <a title="" href="http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/blog/terror-management-theory-yes-virginia-youre-going-to-die/" target="_blank">Theory</a>” which explains why and how we go about suppressing our anxiety about our mortal demise.  At some point in our lives, someone very close to us will die and then we can no longer deny the inevitability of death. The grieving process we go through is very normal and expected but it can be difficult, especially the first time.

In our postmodern culture, where many people no longer rely on traditional institutions and cultural rituals to assist in the grieving process, how does one mourn? I have found that for many of my younger clients, this process can be difficult and confusing to negotiate and many of them want <strong>TO DO SOMETHING</strong> but do not know what to do. One time-honored method of grief counseling is to ask the grieving person to write a letter, a letter to the deceased person. This letter will contain everything the griever thinks and feels about the deceased when the time is at an end. I usually ask the griever to write what the deceased has taught them about life, themselves and specific positive memories.

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<center>http://cdn.triathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Positive-Memoriesb-562x421.jpg</center>
<center><a href="http://cdn.triathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Positive-Memoriesb-562x421.jpg">Image Source</a></center>

In my mind, everything is a learning experience, including death. Since I work with so many millennials, I usually ask them to craft an email, rather than write a letter (when was the last time you ACTUALLY wrote and mailed a letter to anyone!). I have my clients print it off and we process it in our sessions together. Sometimes, I even ask people to create a personal ritual once we have discussed the email. This ritual could be anything from burning the email, posting it on a social network or even emailing it others who may take comfort in it (I even had one client email it to the deceased person's email address). This entire process is about allowing ourselves to mourn not only the loss of the departed but our mortality as well and again to learn from it. Have you developed your own personal ritual to mourn the loss of a loved one?

<strong>How do you expect you'll handle the loss of a loved one when time is at an end?</strong>
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<center><h2>Unmentionably Satisfying Reads</h2>
<a href="https://steemit.com/courage/@unmentionable/the-best-spurt-of-courage-you-will-ever-need">The Best Spurt of Courage You Will Ever Need</a>
<a href="https://steemit.com/mentors/@unmentionable/mentors-and-role-models">Mentors and Role Models</a>
<a href="https://steemit.com/confidence/@unmentionable/you-go-grasshopper">You Go, Grasshopper</a>
<a href="https://steemit.com/ambition/@unmentionable/business-ambition-vs-philosophical-growth">Business Ambition vs Philosophical Growth</a>
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