Lost my husband of 32 yrs 5 months ago

[Joann johnson]

I lost my husband of 32 yrs 5 months ago and it’s eating me alive 

[Joann johnson]

I can’t handle this pain 

[Joann johnson]

Thank you so much . This thing we call live is so hard for me right now 

[Deborah_M]

2 hours ago, Joann johnson said:

I lost my husband of 32 yrs 5 months ago and it’s eating me alive 

Joanna: I'm so sorry for your loss, I lost my husband of 36 years 3 1/2 months ago. I know what you are going through and it breaks my heart. If I was there I would give you a big hug .  Wish I could find words to comfort you, but just know that if you ever need someone to chat with...feel free. I'm not really sure how to do that yet, but I'm learning... I miss my old life, I know you do. too.  There are a lot of good people here who will reach out to you and help you through this.  Take care of yourself.  Keep posting your thoughts.  Believe it or not, it has been helping me to just express what's on my mind.  No one here will judge you!  God Bless ~ Deborah

[April Ballou]

@Joann johnson I'm sorry for your loss.  I lost my husband almost 3 years ago.  I had 38 wonderful years with him and now my life will never be the same.  This forum has helped me alot.  Along with the help from God.  There are alot of people that know what you are going through.   I wish that things were different but sadly they aren't.  Feel free to tell your love story, or read posts.  Comment.  Just whatever you want.  I would love to help in any way possible. 

[Joann johnson]

Thank you both so much . This journey is definitely one that I wish on know one . I do not like this new life I was made to live .

I don’t wish on know one 

[movingon]

Very sorry for your loss Joann, this group will help you, it is a wonderful spot where you can safely speak all your thoughts, all the pain you feel, and everyone comes together to listen, to feel sad with you and to help in many ways. You will not feel as alone with this group, they are very much like family

[Joann johnson]

I feel my life is over , I don’t even know who I am . I’m not even me anymore. I don’t even know who I am, and I don’t like who I have become . I want the old me back the happy me.

[KayC]

15 hours ago, Joann johnson said:

I lost my husband of 32 yrs 5 months ago and it’s eating me alive 

You are right around one of the hardest times in grief...I am so sorry for your loss and all of the pain it puts you through, we are all familiar with that.  It is the hardest thing I've ever been through and that says a lot.  My heart goes out to you and all of the others here!

I welcome you here and invite you to continue coming here, reading, posting, it helps us process our grief and get it out.  It also helps to know there's others going through similar that understand and get it.
Six Month Mark
Six Month Mark (separate article)

Grief Process

This is not a one-size-fits-all, what strikes us one day will be different a few months/years from now, so please save/print this for reference!

I want to share an article I wrote of the things I've found helpful over the years, in the hopes something will be of help to you either now or on down the road.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH GRIEF

There's no way to sum up how to go on in a simple easy answer, but I encourage you to read the other threads here, little by little you will learn how to make your way through this.  I do want to give you some pointers though, of some things I've learned on my journey.

• Take one day at a time.  The Bible says each day has enough trouble of its own, I've found that to be true, so don't bite off more than you can chew.  It can be challenging enough just to tackle today.  I tell myself, I only have to get through today.  Then I get up tomorrow and do it all over again.  To think about the "rest of my life" invites anxiety.
• Don't be afraid, grief may not end but it evolves.  The intensity lessens eventually.
• Visit your doctor.  Tell them about your loss, any troubles sleeping, suicidal thoughts, anxiety attacks.  They need to know these things in order to help you through it...this is all part of grief.
• Suicidal thoughts are common in early grief.  If they're reoccurring, call a suicide hotline.  I felt that way early on, but then realized it wasn't that I wanted to die so much as I didn't want to go through what I'd have to face if I lived.  Back to taking a day at a time.  Suicide Hotline - Call 1-800-273-8255 or www.crisis textline.org or US and Canada: text 741741 UK: text 85258 | Ireland: text 50808
• Give yourself permission to smile.  It is not our grief that binds us to them, but our love, and that continues still.
• Try not to isolate too much.  
• There's a balance to reach between taking time to process our grief, and avoiding it...it's good to find that balance for yourself.  We can't keep so busy as to avoid our grief, it has a way of haunting us, finding us, and demanding we pay attention to it!  Some people set aside time every day to grieve.  I didn't have to, it searched and found me!
• Self-care is extremely important, more so than ever.  That person that would have cared for you is gone, now you're it...learn to be your own best friend, your own advocate, practice self-care.  You'll need it more than ever.
• Recognize that your doctor isn't trained in grief, find a professional grief counselor that is.  We need help finding ourselves through this maze of grief, knowing where to start, etc.  They have not only the knowledge, but the resources.
• In time, consider a grief support group.  If your friends have not been through it themselves, they may not understand what you're going through, it helps to find someone somewhere who DOES "get it". 
• Be patient, give yourself time.  There's no hurry or timetable about cleaning out belongings, etc.  They can wait, you can take a year, ten years, or never deal with it.  It's okay, it's what YOU are comfortable with that matters.  
• Know that what we are comfortable with may change from time to time.  That first couple of years I put his pictures up, took them down, up, down, depending on whether it made me feel better or worse.  Finally, they were up to stay.
• Consider a pet.  Not everyone is a pet fan, but I've found that my dog helps immensely.  It's someone to love, someone to come home to, someone happy to see me, someone that gives me a purpose...I have to come home and feed him.  Besides, they're known to relieve stress.  Well maybe not in the puppy stage when they're chewing up everything, but there's older ones to adopt if you don't relish that stage.
• Make yourself get out now and then.  You may not feel interest in anything, things that interested you before seem to feel flat now.  That's normal.  Push yourself out of your comfort zone just a wee bit now and then.  Eating out alone, going to a movie alone or church alone, all of these things are hard to do at first.  You may feel you flunked at it, cried throughout, that's okay, you did it, you tried, and eventually you get a little better at it.  If I waited until I had someone to do things with I'd be stuck at home a lot.
• Keep coming here.  We've been through it and we're all going through this together.
• Look for joy in every day.  It will be hard to find at first, but in practicing this, it will change your focus so you can embrace what IS rather than merely focusing on what ISN'T.  It teaches you to live in the present and appreciate fully.  You have lost your big joy in life, and all other small joys may seem insignificant in comparison, but rather than compare what used to be to what is, learn the ability to appreciate each and every small thing that comes your way...a rainbow, a phone call from a friend, unexpected money, a stranger smiling at you, whatever the small joy, embrace it.  It's an art that takes practice and is life changing if you continue it.
• Eventually consider volunteering.  It helps us when we're outward focused, it's a win/win.

(((hugs)))  Praying for you today.

 

[RichS]

Joanne:

All of the emotions you’ve expressed have been felt by all of us. Taking it one day at a time (as you experience the pain all of us feel each day) is the best route to take. As I just mentioned in another post, this board is one of my coping tools; and it can be for you, too.

[KayC]

It's true, any one of us could have written the same thing...