How to Survive the Loss of a Love

by Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D. & Peter McWilliams

Contents:

• Understanding Loss
• Obvious Losses
• Not-So-Obvious Losses
• Loss Related To Age
• Limbo Losses
• Inevitable Losses
• Other Losses
• What Loss Feels Like
• The Stages of Recovery
• Surviving
• One: You Will Survive
• Two: If You Need It, Get Help at Once
• Three: Acknowledge the Loss
• Four: You Are Not Alone
• Five: It's OK to Feel
• Six: Be with the Pain
• Seven: You're Great!
• Eight: Give Yourself Time to Heal
• Nine: The Healing Process Has Its Progressions and Regressions
• Ten: Tomorrow Will Come
• Eleven: Breathe!
• Twelve: Get Lots of Rest--Now
• Thirteen: Stick to Your Schedule
• Fourteen: Keep Decision-Making to a Minimum
• Fifteen: It's OK to Make "Silly" Mistakes
• Sixteen: It's OK to Go through the Motions in Slow Motion
• Seventeen: It's OK to Need Comforting
• Eighteen: Seek the Support of Others
• Nineteen: Touching and Hugging
• Twenty: Find Others Who Have Survived a Similar Loss
• Twenty-one: Seek Wise Guidance
• Twenty-two: Surround Yourself with Things That Are Alive
• Twenty-three: Reaffirm Your Beliefs
• Twenty-four: Sundays Are the Worst
• Twenty-five: The Question of Suicide
• Healing
• Twenty-six: Do Your Mourning Now
• Twenty-seven: Earlier Losses May Surface
• Twenty-eight: Be Gentle with Yourself
• Twenty-nine: Heal at Your Own Pace
• Thirty: Don't Try to Rekindle the Old Relationship
• Thirty-one: Make a Pact with a Friend
• Thirty-two: Mementos
• Thirty-three: Anticipate a Positive Outcome
• Thirty-four: Expect to Feel Afraid
• Thirty-five: It's OK to Feel Depressed
• Thirty-six: It's OK to Feel Anger
• Thirty-seven: It's OK to Feel Guilty
• Thirty-eight: You May Want to Hire a Professional or Two
• Thirty-nine: When You Might Want Counseling or Therapy
• Forty: A Complete Medical Workup May Be in Order
• Forty-one: Some Depressions May Require Medication
• Forty-two: Nutrition
• Forty-three: Remember: You're Vulnerable
• Forty-four: Beware of the Rebound
• Forty-five: Under-Indulge in Addictive Activities
• Forty-six: Pamper Yourself
• Forty-seven: Dreams Can Be Healing
• Forty-eight: Sleep Patterns May Change
• Forty-nine: Sexual Desire May Change
• Fifty: Remaining Distraught Is No Proof of Love
• Fifty-one: Surround Yourself with Goodness and Light
• Fifty-two: Pray, Meditate, Contemplate
• Fifty-three: Keep a Journal
• Fifty-four: There Is a Beauty in Sadness
• Fifty-five: Let Yourself Heal Fully
• Fifty-six: Affirm Yourself
• Fifty-seven: Visualization
• Fifty-eight: Use Color to Lift Your Spirit
• Fifty-nine: Laugh!
• Sixty: As Healing Continues
• Growing
• Sixty-one: You're Stronger Now
• Sixty-two: Let Go of the Loss and Move On
• Sixty-three: Forgiveness Is Letting Go
• Sixty-four: Forgive the Other Person
• Sixty-five: Forgive Yourself
• Sixty-six: Take Stock of the Good
• Sixty-seven: You Are a Better Person for Having Loved
• Sixty-eight: Praise Yourself for the Courage to Relate
• Sixty-nine: Changes
• Seventy: Start Anew
• Seventy-one: Invite New People into Your Life
• Seventy-two: Develop New Interests...
• Seventy-three: ...But Don't Forget the Old Interests
• Seventy-four: Groups
• Seventy-five: Self-Improvement Anyone?
• Seventy-six: Your Words Have Power
• Seventy-seven: Think "Both/And" Rather Than "Either/Or"
• Seventy-eight: The Freedom to Choose
• Seventy-nine: It's OK to Ask
• Eighty: It's OK for Others to Say No
• Eighty-one: It's OK for Others to Say Yes
• Eighty-two: Fear Can Be a Friend
• Eighty-three: The Antidote for Anxiety Is Action
• Eighty-four: Postpone Procrastination
• Eighty-five: The Past
• Eighty-six: Anniversaries
• Eighty-seven: Solitude
• Eighty-eight: Creativity
• Eighty-nine: Enjoy!
• Ninety: Appreciation
• Ninety-one: Do Something for Someone Else
• Ninety-two: Appreciate Your Growth
• Ninety-three: Your Happiness Is Up to You
• Ninety-four: Celebrate!

Copyright © 1967-1996 Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D. & Peter McWilliams