There are many bereavement myths in society. The question of what to do with a deceased persons possessions is one of the most common. It is a myth that letting go of a loved ones personal possessions as quickly as possible, especially their clothing, helps ease the pain of bereavement. In fact, the griever may experience trouble in the future if this decision is made too quickly. What To Do With a Loved Ones Personal Belongings? Seeing and smelling their clothes, as well as other items like slippers, pajamas and toiletries, make us miss our loved ones presence. These are incredibly important sentimental items that had importance in the life of the deceased individual. As a result, deciding what to do with all of those items now, is a really difficult process. There are generally two options for handling this: we can decide to start over and eliminate everything to avoid viewing certain items that might be emotionally upsetting. Or, we can choose to leave everything exactly as it was in homage to our loved one, maintaining everything in the same order that they left it. In theory, not everyone would do well with either choice. It is crucial to realize that grieving is a very personal process, requiring each person to move through it at a different speed and in a different way. Reasons for Choosing To Remove Personal Possessions After a Loss The choice of what to do with our loved ones possessions will be influenced by a number of variables, but the most critical one is whether the death was unexpected or devastating. When it comes to an unexpected loss, the family is still in shock and dealing with unanticipated decisions maybe before even beginning the grieving process or accepting what happened. As such, it is not advised to make decisions regarding what to do with a loved ones possessions. Rather, take the necessary time to realize the reality of your loved ones death. Because of the significance of their touch and fragrance, having our loved ones personal possessions close by can sometimes be of great assistance in helping us connect with the agony of loss. During the grieving process, we go through a number of extremely difficult psychological and emotional activities, and having our loved ones possessions around can make such tasks much easier. We can cope with the loss by maintaining an emotional link to these items, such as using their bed linens, wearing their watch, smelling their cologne, etc. How To Handle Making Decisions About Our Loved Ones Possessions? As was already said, each person experiences grief and the associated emotions differently. In any case, psychotherapist and bereavement expert Nuria Javaloyes highlights some fundamental advice: Talk to the closest relative to decide what to do with the personal possessions. Reach family consensus; share support and compassion for each other. Make decisions that are consistent and free of pressure; it makes little difference whether the final choice is to retain everything in a box, toss things out or donate or give away items that might be of service to someone else. Realize there is no urgency to begin; the task can be completed gradually or in phases, as the family sees fit and when they are ready. Understand that while it will be a difficult journey emotionally, it is necessary for the grieving process. What Happens if We Decide To Keep Some Personal Possessions? We are aware that connecting with our loved ones possessions may help us work through our grief. Giving meaning to our loved ones items, and allowing the pain of loss to fade gradually, can be achieved by keeping certain items in a special box that we can check on occasionally; wearing something that belonged to them; donating clothes or giving them to someone who can use them. Southern Cremations Funerals opera funerarias y crematorios de servicio completo en el área metropolitana de Atlanta. Nuestras ubicaciones actuales incluyen Marietta, Fairburn y McDonough. Ofrecemos paquetes funerarios y paquetes de cremación con todo incluido que permiten a las familias ahorrar hasta un 50 por ciento. También poseemos y operamos tres cementerios, incluido Cheatham Hill Memorial Park en Marietta, Holly Hill Memorial Park en Fairburn y Eastlawn Memorial Park en McDonough.