Death of a spouse - how soon is too soon to move on?
A KZN widow wrote to Damon to tell of a predicament she's in following the death of her husband. Her family is giving her a hard time, but are their actions justified?
How soon is too soon to move on following the death of a spouse? KZN shares their views with Damon. Listen or read the details under the podcast:
Mourning a spouse while simultaneously falling in love again is dodgy territory.
With moving on comes the naysayers saying that it's too soon - as if there’s a memo that’s been sent to everyone around the world stating what the appropriate grieving period is.
So, just how long is long enough before you're allowed to look for love again following the death of a spouse? This is the question that a KZN woman is asking herself.
She sent me an email to tell of a predicament that she's found herself in.
Also read: ‘Is it realistic to expect your spouse to remain faithful?’
See a copy of the email she sent below:
Are we conditioned to believe that we expect one stage to be over before the next one can begin? A feeling that you're being disloyal or minimising the loss of the person if you go on a date or fall in love again.
According to an article published by The Telegraph, a recent survey showed that most widowers feel that it is appropriate to wait one year and ten months until they find love again. The thing is, is grief ever really 'fully done'? I guess you never ever forget the loss of a spouse, but at some time you have to move on with your life. If the deceased spouse was still around, I'm sure they would want you to be happy.
Read: Would you let your spouse attend the funeral of their lover?
How soon is too soon to move on following the death of a spouse? Let me know your thoughts below.