Unfortunately, there will likely come a time in your life when someone you love gets sick or old. When this happens, and you know that their death is going to happen sooner rather than later, it’s wise to do what you can to prepare yourself for their loss rather than trying to ignore this truth.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for preparing for the death of a loved one.
Help With Estate Planning
From a logistical standpoint, something that your loved one might need help with as they’re facing death in the near future is their estate planning. Once you and your loved one feel that everything administrative is taken care of regarding things like their debts, the distribution of their assets, the funeral arrangements, and more, you guys can spend more time really focusing on the things that matter and the time you have left together.
As part of helping your loved one with their estate planning, you’ll want to discuss their assets and their wishes regarding them. If there’s something of theirs that you’d love to have to remember them by, like their diamond heart necklace or an article of clothing, make sure you express this to them at this point. You’ll also want to make sure that they’ve figured out how to handle their finances, their medical wishes, and more.
Think About What’s Been Left Unsaid
Once you’ve gotten all of the administrative stuff figured out with your loved one, you can then focus all of your energy on making the most of the good days or weeks that your loved one has left.
While it’s great to create new memories together and reminisce about the old memories that you have with one another, you should also think about what might have been left unsaid in the past that you’d like your loved one to hear from you. Share with them how you feel about them, how they’ve impacted your life, and even ask questions that you’ve always wanted to know the answers to, as you might not have many more chances to do so.
Be Ready For Anticipatory Grief
Knowing that your loved one will die soon can be both a blessing and a curse. While it can be helpful to get certain things taken care of and appreciate whatever time you have left with one another, seeing the grief on the horizon can be incredibly challenging.
With this in mind, you should understand that you’ll have some anticipatory grief that you’ll likely need to work through. You might have a hard time controlling your emotions, experience anxiety and depression, and feel guilty or angry about the situation. To get ahead of these feelings, consider finding someone that you can talk to about what’s going on as you go through this tough time.
If you’ve been told that one of your loved ones will be dying soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare for this.