{"id":351,"date":"2021-02-08T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T13:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forevermissed.com\/blog\/a-valentines-day-survival-guide-for-those-who-have-lost-a-loved-one\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:15:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:15:48","slug":"a-valentines-day-survival-guide-for-those-who-have-lost-a-loved-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forevermissed.com\/blog\/a-valentines-day-survival-guide-for-those-who-have-lost-a-loved-one\/","title":{"rendered":"A Valentine’s Day Survival Guide For Those Who Have Lost a Loved One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Losing someone you love is always painful. But the sadness can be magnified when your special person passes away near Valentine\u2019s Day. After all, it\u2019s a holiday meant to celebrate all types of love \u2013 romantic, platonic, and familial. And it\u2019s perfectly normal not to want to engage in joyful celebrations when you\u2019re deeply grieving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have lost a loved one and find yourself feeling in despair this Valentine\u2019s Day, consider these three ways you might choose to spend the day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Lean Into Your Grief<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ignoring feelings of sadness will only make your grief journey more painful in the end. Allow yourself to feel all of the feelings you\u2019re experiencing, even if they aren\u2019t what society expects on Valentine\u2019s Day. Remind yourself that you have every right to cry rather than celebrate. You have every right to feel anger instead of love on a day that serves to remind you of all you\u2019ve lost. Your feelings are valid, your loss is very real, and your grief will be unique and personal to you. Let it wash over you and course through you as you learn to move forward with your \u201cnew normal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Redirect Your Focus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing that will replace the hole you feel in your heart on your first Valentine\u2019s Day without a loved one. But it may help to redirect some of your focus toward making the day more cheerful for someone else who might be struggling. You could: <\/p>\n\n\n\n