Losing a loved one is never easy, but keeping their memory alive can be difficult, too.

Grief is a complex psychological process. When a loved one passes, it can tough to moved past the grief while still keeping their memory alive. You’re caught between wanting to honor them while also moving on with your life. That’s why it can help to find ways to deal with your loss.

Here are 7 things to do in memory of a loved one.

Donate to a Cause

When we lose a loved one, we often go in search of a way to regain control over our lives to replace the control that has been taken away from us. 

Donating to a cause can help you regain that sense of control. You can give back to a community that your loved one was passionate about, or donate to a charity that could save others from a similar loss in the future.

There’s something comforting about the selflessness of donating, which could provide you emotional comfort in trying times. Even a one-time donation can be a massive help to a charity, so you’ll also be giving something back in the name of your loved one.

Memorabilia

Creating memorabilia is one of the easiest ways to keep a loved one’s memory with you.

Memorabilia can take a wide range of forms, from an engraved piece of jewelry to custom coins. You also have many opportunities to create something unique to their memory, such as honoring their service in the armed forces.

Whether you display this memorabilia in pride of place or keep it somewhere private, it can serve as a way to remember and honor your loved one.

Improve Yourself

Grief carries a wave of negative emotions with it. That can leave mourners lost in the wilderness, struggling to find their way back to a normal life.

But we all wish the best for the people closest to us, and your loved one was likely no different. By taking this chance to improve yourself, you can displace negative emotions and honor their memory by doing it for them.

While you should be wary about making drastic changes in a state of grief, taking on a new hobby or getting into better shape are small things you can do to give your life a positive focus.

Preserve Their Memory

Remembering the departed is one of the oldest communal activities in human history. There’s a reason graves and tombs play such a key role in even the earliest societies.

Keep that tradition alive by remembering the deceased through gatherings and social events. There will be other friends and family just as happy to remember them as you are, so get together and relive the moments you had together.

A remembrance gathering doesn’t have to be maudlin. With food, drink, and talk about the good times, it can encourage you all to deal with absence in a positive way.

This can also be a fantastic way to stay connected. In some cases, the death of a loved one can break the bonds between a larger social group. By gathering together to honor their memory, you can reinforce those bonds and keep the social circle strong.

Create a Monument

You may not have the means or the land to build a pyramid, but even a small monument can help to lay a loved one to rest in your own mind.

Planting a tree or getting a plaque installed a small but effective way of remembering a loved one. You can install the moment in a favorite place of theirs, which will give you somewhere to visit when you want to reconnect with them.

You can also work with other friends and family of your loved one to arrange something you all agree on as being the best way to honor them.

Relatives often choose a memorial site that meant something to the deceased, such as a park or a sea view. That creates a site that anyone can visit to honor the memory of the deceased.

Pick Up Their Hobby

We all have our passions in life. If your loved one had a hobby they were passionate about, then taking up that hobby can help you reconnect with them through a shared passion.

Of course, this only works if the hobby is something you think you would enjoy. But if it’s the kind of thing you’ve always been curious about, there may be no better time to pursue it.

Depending on the hobby, you may even be able to use some of your loved one’s personal effects. Items like instruments or other tools can become deeply beloved items over the decades, so picking these up can help you can carry on that connection.

Celebrate the Special Days

After losing a loved one, it’s easy for special days like birthdays and anniversaries to turn into days of mourning.

This can be especially difficult for loved ones who had a passion for certain holidays, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It may be tough to get through those holidays while keeping to the holiday spirit.

But in most cases, your loved one wouldn’t want to make the day difficult for you. You can remember loved ones by celebrating those special days. Organize get-togethers or celebrate in your own private way. The important thing is to displace negative emotions with a positive celebration of that person’s life.

By celebrating the special days in a new way, you can reclaim them from a sense of grief while keeping the memory of your loved one alive.

Things to Do in Memory of a Loved One

Grief can make us feel powerless. But these things to do in memory of a loved one can help you reclaim a sense of power, allowing you to honor your loved one on your own terms.

Looking for more tips to get you through life’s rough spots? You can find our lifestyle section here.