At present, many families are separated by different reasons: moving, work, the search for new opportunities. When someone who is far away dies, it can be very difficult for the mourners to deal with it. The first reaction is, commonly, disbelief. That is, they cannot believe that a loved one has died; the fact of being far away, physically separated, makes it difficult to accept the reality. That’s not the case when the one who dies has lived with the family, in the same house, because the contact with his absence helps in the grieving process. However, if the mourner lives outside the city or country where the family member has died, the grieving process can be more painful and last longer. That is, when the person who loses a family member and the deceased one don’t have a life in common the acceptance process is very complicated. The mourner may think of the deceased as if he was still alive, which is a symptom of denial.
When the death of a relative who is far away occurs unexpectedly, it is more difficult for the mourners to assimilate the event. A struggle with the reality begins inside them and they cannot accept it. It will take more time to assimilate what happened when compared to a person who, for instance, lived the illness and seriousness process of a loved one until the moment of his death.
It is possible, however, to overcome death in the distance. The first thing is to release the feelings of sadness and anguish; to know that it is normal to feel that way. Talking with the relatives back in the place where the disease occurred will be of great help. They can call their relatives by phone, use social media, among other forms of communication, as a way to get relief. What the person who goes through mourning in the distance should not do is to isolate, stop speaking or communicating with the family. On the contrary, it is essential to talk, to get rid of that load; otherwise the person could fall into depression and get sick. The blockage of feelings and emotions is negative for the health of those who suffer a grief, much more if the mourner has moved out of the city or the country where the rest of the family is located.