Have you ever tried *once again* to flip through an album of old photos....?

Question

........only to realize that that you still can't bear to see the face of a loved one that has passed on?

I wonder, will I ever be able to look at photos of my Father and do so without being overwhelmed by my emotions?

Answer 1

Old photos are no comfort to me, but I realize they should be. I see my parents were they were young... before old age called both of them. I see myself during that fleeting time of total innocence. I see acquaintances that I have lost track of. I see pictures of Christmases past where getting a bicycle only and nothing else was a very big deal. No, I do not enjoy flipping through old photos. Now, I just take a lot of joy in the young ones and their antics. Interesting question !!!

Answer 2

Imagine trying to get past your fear of a stove when, the first time you touched it, you got burned.

Subsequently, everytime you go back to the stove, what you remember is the first impression (being burned) so you quickly leave the room.

Everytime you leave the room, you learn to associate 'stove' with 'hot' and 'burned' and 'leave', so that your responses become automatic: you see the stove, you remember hot, you feel the need to leave.

If it is a particular image of your father that you are having trouble with, try looking at different pictures that remind you of good things about them, things that you know you will never 'lose.' You associate the picture with 'loss' and so all you feel when you look at that person is all you have 'lost'.

You gain perspective, or balance, when you learn to see 'balance' in that picture/person. That means if you have to 'borrow' some balance from some other picture (or memory) then that is what you need to do. When you do so, when you look at that picture, you will see all that you have 'lost' but also all that you have 'gained', which will make it much easier to look at.

Answer 3

I can sometimes look at pictures of my Dad and not cry
I still get the huge lump in the throat , lump in the stomach and give a big SIGH
usually
some days are better than others

You will never be the same since Dad died.. you learn to adjust

HUGS

Answer 4

Everyone grieves for a different duration of time, it is nearly impossible to tell how long your grief will last. My father passed away over five years ago and seeing his photo still brings tears to my eyes.

Answer 5

I do that with my animals!!!! My father died so long ago, and my grandparents were very old, but my pets, I miss them so much sometimes!!!