Losing a family member or friend is one of the hardest things.

For me, it was an uncle who died from lung cancer.

There are no easy ways to deal with it. There are no answers.

His passing was one thing that helped me in my recovery.

I had left for treatment for anorexia about 3 weeks before he died.

I knew I would never see him again as I hugged him one last time.

For me, he was part of my strength every single day, and still is now.

I watched him put on a brave face most of the time while knowing he was very sick.

I thought to myself, here he is with a terminal illness, and he's still able to smile and joke around.

I knew that I had a chance at getting better and I had a life to live.

So, how do you get through losing someone close to you?

You kind of just do.

There are moments you think of them and cry because you miss them, or you remember the last time you saw them, the last conversation you may have had.

But chances are, they would not want you to be sad that they are gone.

You should honor the life they lived, not grieve over their death.

Easier said than done though.

Talking about them is one thing I also recommend. It helps a lot in the healing.

Especially sharing funny/happy stories with those who knew them.

You will always miss them but just remember that you have a life to live too.

As painful as it is to lose them, you are still here and you need to take care of yourself too.