Step 1: Feel Your Pain
Following the loss of your beloved pet, it is best to let yourself experience the feeling of sorrow, distraught, and pain. Many people try to keep themselves busy or look ways to cheer them up, but it sometimes only prolongs the grief process. Therefore, it is best to experience the pain as it helps a lot in the grief process.
Step 2: Make Sure You Address Any Feelings of Guilt
Many pet owners wish that their beloved pets pass quietly in their sleep, but it doesn’t happen always. Therefore, it is important to be ready to face the possibility of euthanasia. It is because your pet might be suffering a lot due to pain and this is a recommended way to provide relief. You shouldn’t have any feelings of guilt about it as you just spared your pet from all the pain it had to endure during the stages of dying process.
Step 3: Talk About It
One of the best ways to cope with the loss of a pet is finding some people and talking about your pet. It is recommended to find someone who can just allow you to talk at length without interrupting you too much. There are support groups and hotlines dedicated to helping people cope with their loss.
Step 4: Reflect Upon Your Life with Your Pet
It is really unfortunate that most of us only remember the bad times. Why not remember the good times? Try to reflect upon the good times you spent with your pet and think about the amazing memories your pet created for you. When you start thinking about the good memories, it can help convert your pain into gratitude.
Step 5: A Ceremony to Cherish Your Pet
Many people find it really helpful when they are around their friends and family in the grieving process. It can be comforting to have people around you who share the pain of your loss. A ceremony can be a great way to say goodbye to your beloved pet while also celebrate its life.
Step 6: Try to Tie Up Loose Ends
In order to move forward, you need answers to questions like what caused your pet to die? Was the death painful? Or could you have done anything to prevent it? Finding answers from your veterinarian can really help you move forward.
Understand that grief is a process that takes time and it only happens gradually. You cannot hurry the grief process. Therefore, be strong and spend time in the company of people who care about you. When the time is right, you should pay tribute to your beloved pet by adopting another pet. It is because another pet can really help fill the hole in your heart.