Dealing with the death of my grandmother

My grandmother passed away of cancer three months ago. We did not know she was dying until a few days before her death. After her diagnosis of cancer, things moved very fast and we said goodbye three months after her diagnosis, despite her treatment appearing to have improved her condition. I'm 18 years old and this is the first death I have ever really had to deal with. Me and my siblings were close to our grandmother and would see her every week sometimes more than once a week. I'm finding it very hard to cope. I don't know if it was the speed at which we lost her, or if this complete disbelief is a normal part of grief but I find it very difficult to fully comprehend that she is gone forever and find myself thinking awful thoughts about people I see on the streets thinking why couldn't it just have been one of them. I feel as though people expect me to be fine now and have moved on but it's all I think about every single night and have trouble sleeping. Any advice on how to come to terms/ cope a bit better would be great, thank you.

  • I lost my close friend within a couple of months since diagnosis and am experiencing very similar feelings and thoughts to you. I feel I never got the chance to come to terms with my friend's mortality, and so when we lost her it seemed impossible because my mind just hadn't yet moved past "She'll be okay though, people beat cancer all the time" Like you I often find myself wishing she could swap places with someone who was never as incredible as her, but I try to think about just how furious she would be if I had ended someone elses life to save hers. It helps me feel as if it was almost her choice, the idea she would have never swapped places with anyone if given the oppertunity, i don't know why. 

    The worst part is seeing people just continue their lives when you feel as if yours has come to a standstill, but you aren't alone. Many people on here, myself included are here because it is taking us a long time to move through the stages of grief, its important to remember that is okay, there is no right or wrong way to grieve. 

    Whenever I have trouble sleeping and feel undesireable thoughts bubbling up, I tell myself to make it through ten more seconds, and when that seems okay i say make it through 1 more minute and I move up until I have ridden out the wave. I also find being around animals and being needed by them helps me find purpose and also makes me smile. There is no easy way to cope, but my best advice is just to look for the things that bring you a smile and just keep those things close to you.