Some of the most significant individuals in our lives are our parents. Their passing can truly take the wind out of us, whether or not we stay in touch as much as we would like to.
When someone dies everything changes, that person is no longer around for us to go to when we need someone to talk to and even just saying their name becomes painful. Sure, at some point we will all die and that is something we have to come to terms but when it happens to someone so close to you, it catches you off guard whether it’s expected or not. No matter what the situation is, the death of your mother or father will leave you feeling lost.
I’ll go over a few of the changes you’ll experience after losing a parent down below. If you’ve ever lost a parent, you understand how terrible these issues are all too well. Loss of this magnitude is difficult to deal with, and it takes longer than you might think to regain a sense of normalcy.
9 Emotional Changes We Face When A Parent Dies
1. You change the way you live.
When one of your parents die, you don’t move forward in the ways you were before. You change things in your life so that you are working to make them proud more. While this is something you will wish you had done beforehand, it is something you cannot prevent now.
2. You sense solitude.
You experience a greater sense of loneliness after losing one or both of your parents. You lack identity and knowledge about how to resume your normal life. You experience a great deal more distance from the people in your life. You can’t move on without this loneliness because the person who has been in your life since the day you were born is no longer there.
3. You feel like something is missing.
As you move forward you’re going to feel like something is missing. This is not a feeling that will go away overnight and it will take far longer to get used to than you might assume. You are missing something, someone at that and that person is not replaceable. Learning to live without them is not going to be easy.
4. You no longer believe that your achievements are important.
You won’t feel as accomplished when you complete tasks because your parent(s) no longer inhabit this world. It will influence you more than you can realise because you won’t have the same support network that you formerly did. Even if you still feel as though your successes matter, they don’t.
5. You break down a lot.
You as a person are going to break down a lot. You’re going to struggle to get out of bed some days and just thinking of them will bring you to tears from time to time. Losing someone that you care so much about is never something that you will fully be okay with.
6. You never get over it.
You will never get over the death of a parent. No matter how much time passes, you will still be missing something. Learning to live life in a way that is without your mother or father is not going to be easy but the more time that passes the more capable you will become.
7. You experience a sense of everything collapsing around you.
Losing a parent makes you feel as though the world is collapsing around you. You believe that the world is changing drastically and that you are evolving into an entirely new being. It will never again be the same, and this is quite true.
8. You harbour resentment against people who still have both parents.
After losing your parents, seeing other people with their parents will make you wish you could see them again. You’ll feel envious of those who get to spend more time with the individuals they value the most. You’ll go around telling people all the time how short life is and how crucial it is for them to spend as much time as possible with their parents.
9. You regret all the things you either did incorrectly or never got to do.
You will reflect on all the errors you made throughout your life and all the things you wish you could have done differently after your parents are gone. You’ll kick yourself for not supporting your parents—either one or both—the way you should have. You’ll experience more emotions than you may ever fully comprehend.
