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Grandpa passing away...
My grandpa passed away on June 14th of this year. (his 70th bday)
Me and my grandpa were never really close and I thought that his passing would not hurt this much. (I hope that doesn't sound horrible) I was upset when I was told he passed and I was very emotional at the funeral, but I felt I had to be strong for my family. ( I am the oldest grandchild) I never thought this would hurt this much.
But needless to say it has been really hard on me. I didn't realize how hard it was until today. This morning I woke up and got ready for my day off like any other day, but all of a sudden it hit me, My Grandpa is dead. I cried for a good 2 hours, and I do not feel any better now that I have cried.
I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep until I don't hurt any more.
Is this normal to feel this way after being "fine" since the funeral?
Re: Grandpa passing away...
I'm sorry for your loss. There isn't a right or wrong way to grieve. It really hasn't been that long since your grandfather's passing, give it time. Has anyone in your family died before? The first time you lose a close friend or relative is really hard, on top of losing someone you care about the thought of immortality can be really scary. If your sadness disrupts your daily life for a prolonged period of time and you're not able to enjoy the things in life that normally make you happy then you should seek counseling.
My grandmother died about 20 years ago, I was a little girl and very upset at the time and over the years the pain goes away and the thought of her isn't upsetting anymore. Once or twice a year something will happen - I'll see something that reminds me of her or walk past someone wearing her perfume and it hits me like a ton of bricks that she's gone.
I'm sorry for your loss.
There's no "normal" when it comes to grief. Everyone experiences something different. You're not weird or crazy or anything for feeling this way.
Sometimes it takes a while for the reality of the situation to hit home, especially if you are trying to put on a brave front for your family or take care of them if they're the ones who were really upset right after the fact. You may just now be getting the time to really process this. And not only is it hard to lose a family member, you're also watching the people you love be hurt by this loss. Plus there's the heavy thought of our own mortality thrown on top of all that. It's not easy to deal with.
Just try to hang in there, do what you have to do to try and feel better (sleep, cry, take a break from some things), and if you've got someone to talk to then try talking to them about this. You're not alone.
I'm very sorry for your loss. As PPs said, everyone grieves differently. I think it's a good thing that you were able to cry and continue to go through the process of dealing with the loss of your grandpa. When my grandmother passed away last Christmas, there was no funeral service, so I felt like I had no closure. It was months before I was able to face the loss and cry about it.
Talking about it with family members may help, maybe going over fond memories, etc. Allow yourself some time to remember and grieve.
{{HUGS}}
Please don't feel the need to rush through grief. Allow yourself time to heal from this, even though you guys weren't that close, he was your grandpa...a part of your life. If emotions of grief last for months, and you are unable to get through daily tasks anymore I would then seek counseling to assist you further. But until then, give it time.
To give an analogy:
I think of grief (in any form) like a wound. It takes time to heal, and scab over. Sometimes you could even look back over time and see a small scar...but it doesn't hurt as bad as it did when you first felt the pain...you still can look back as a time in your life. Sometimes wounds don't heal as well as others, and you need to seek further assistance (ie. doctor/hospital) to help with the pain/healing process.
Thank you all for your replies.
Other then yesterday morning I have been able to continue with every day things.
I talked to my mom yesterday morning and she said that they moved my car. (my parents were storing it while I work out of town) They moved it over to my Grandma's house as they sold their moterhome and they have more room then my parents do, so it made sense to move my car. The motor home was my grandpas pride any joy, his favorite this was to travel. This hit me hard.
Looking back at what I just wrote I put "they" and "their", it should be she and her now I guess.
I am very sorry for your loss. When I lost my grandfather it took me many months for my grief to really hit me.