Learn how to live through them. If your hard times are reminding you of people you love, or vise versa even, reading the following suggestions may help you survive the grieving process.

Step one: Dispose of items that remind you of the loved one. Did your boyfriend pass away in a tragic car accident? Don’t leave car magazines lying around. This will just increase the problem. Instead, toss these magazines into the nearest waste basket and hope for the best.

Step two: Pack away items that were given to you by the loved one. This doesn’t mean that if your husband who died gave you a kitchen spoon you have to throw it out. This means that if he gave you an item such as a framed photo of himself and you together, you should put that in a shoe box. Place the shoe box in the back of your closet.

Step three: Reward yourself for not looking at your packed items and not going back to retrieve your tossed items. If you are being faithful to your recovery, reward yourself with a bit of chocolate, a movie, or a chat with a friend.

Step four: Call a friend whenever the blues hit. Chat about hobbies, upcoming events, and new ideas. Stick to the present and try to avoid discussing the past.

Step five: Work with other members of the family and friends. Be in a group. You all can work together to forget about this person. Be a team by supporting one another through the grieving process.