Grief is a complicated emotion and one of the most painful you will ever experience.
As tempting as it may be to ignore your feelings this does not help in the long run.
The only way to really heal from this experience is to let yourself feel the emotions and actively work to move on in your life.
Many people try to put a time span on grief, this is not possible.
Grief affects different people in different ways and some people will feel it's effects for much longer then others.
Similarly, grief should not be thought of as a linear emotion.
Instead, it will be full of ups and downs, usually it is rougher in the beginning when the loss is still raw but even many years after triggers such as Christmas, birthdays and family events could bring up old emotions.
When trying to work through grief it is important that you are gentle on yourself, don't push yourself too hard or expect too much from yourself.
Also each week do something that is just for you, maybe treat yourself to a CD you always wanted or take a trip to the cinema.
It doesn't matter what it is so long as it is time for you doing something you enjoy.
Don't make any decisions, you're vulnerable right now and allow yourself the time and space to grieve before doing anything else.
Even if the decision is something you had been considering before your loss the grieving process will cloud your judgement and therefore the decision can wait.
It is much easier to make a decision later on then it is to take it back if you regret it after the fact.
Don't let anyone tell you how to feel and don't put pressure on yourself to feel a certain way either.
Grief is a very personal emotion and there are many stages to it.
If you're angry, if you feel guilty, if you have regrets it's ok.
Let yourself feel these emotions, experience them and work through them.
Don't feel guilty for experiencing any emotion.
Complicated Grief Grief never really goes away but it shouldn't remain the focus of your life either.
There is a condition known as complicated grief, people with this are stuck continually mourning the person they have lost.
They do not accept the death long after it occurred and are so preoccupied with the person that died that their daily life is disrupted.
Symptoms of complicated grief include: a longing for the deceased, intrusive thoughts about the loved one, denial of the death and imagining that they are still alive, looking for them in places they used to go, extreme anger over the death, avoiding situations that remind you of your loved one and a feeling that life is worthless without them.
If you are experiencing this it is important to seek help and talk to a counsellor.