It doesn't matter if you were married for 1 year or 50, losing your spouse is one of the most painful losses we could ever endure.
Your spouse is your partner in life, your best friend, your soul mate.
Having all of that taken from you can leave you feeling lost and very alone.
But you can and you will go on living after your spouse has passed.
Here are 3 tips to help you grieve your loss and go on living after the death of your spouse.
Call in Support Don't feel like you have to go through this alone.
It's true that you are the only one who has lost a spouse, but other people have lost a loved one as a result of your spouse's death too.
Reach out to your in-laws for support throughout the grieving process.
Draw upon your family and close friends to help you.
Whether you need your sister to take the kids for the day, or just a friend to talk to, figure out your support groups and don't be shy about calling on them to help you through this tragedy.
Acknowledge Those Special Days You spent so much time with your spouse, everything is going to remind you of him or her in their absence.
The most heart-wrenching reminders will come on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.
These days are going to be tough, especially in the first year or two.
Many people find that if they acknowledge these days and choose to celebrate them, it helps to mitigate the sadness on those inevitable annual events.
If there was a certain restaurant you and your spouse went to on special dates, make it a point to go there on your anniversary.
Or you could have a family dinner to celebrate your spouse's birthday.
Celebrating these events is a nice way to keep their memory alive and help you get through the day.
Starting Over As you begin to recover from the loss of your spouse, you'll probably feel as if you're starting over with everything.
You did everything with your spouse before, so learning to do those things by yourself or with someone else in their place will take some time to get used to.
Starting over does not mean you have to forget about your loved one.
Many people feel this way and it results in feelings of guilt as they begin to recover and move on with their lives.
But the reality is, you can't expect to just pick up your life where you left off before the death of your spouse.
Your life is going to be different now, so it's okay to start over and move on with your new life.
Make an effort to start new traditions and meet new people.
Your spouse would want you to be happy again, even if it means starting over without them.
The bond between a husband and wife is so unique and so special, that it hurts all the more when that bond is broken in death.
Although your spouse is no longer with you physically, you will always have the memory of the love you shared.
As Alfred Lord Tennyson so beautifully put it, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
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