The death of a loved one, whether that be a family member or friend, is hard. The worst thing you can do is hold in your emotions. Holding in your feelings will only make you feel worse.

If you fear losing control, you are among many. You can only hold it together for a short time before you feel the strain.

Avoiding grief is destructive. It will make you sick. The longer you hold it in, the more it is going to hurt you.

Grief is a natural response to loss. If you are willing to take the journey through the intense emotions, you will find healing. Life will never return to the way it was before death, but you will find a new purpose to life.

Here are nine ways to heal after the death of a loved one: