A relative of ours said,"My husband died. Now, I have to figure out who I am." That situation comes up for more of our friends and relatives these days. I have mentioned before that when two psychologists were creating a test of stress, they chose the loss of a long-term mate as a strong, deep, disorienting hit that a person can experience. As some of our friends can attest, it can take awhile to recover, not including the documents and papers and decisions involved.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+long+does+upset+last+after+a+longtime+husband+or+wife+dies
When it is time to figure out who you are, you may evolve to be able to start a new phase of life. I am fairly familiar with the freeing and fascinating possibilities that can come from using meditation to develop mindfulness. I haven't lost my longtime wife to death but I can see how any upset, as well as any strong pleasure or accomplishment, can be accepted more efficiently and fully with well-developed mindfulness.
