Several situations can cause us to miss a loved one. Maybe your partner is away for an extended business trip, and you miss them while they’re away. It’s also possible that you’re missing someone you used to know. Perhaps it’s an even deeper kind of missing, like when you’ve lost a loved one.

The reasons we miss someone contribute largely to how we cope with missing that person. To fully understand what’s happening when we miss someone, let’s take a look at the signs that you might be missing someone. After that, we can review some ways to cope with missing a loved one, based on why you miss them.

Signs You’re Missing Someone

When we miss a loved one, we can experience that through emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Signs of missing someone are mostly mental. In cases where you’ve lost a loved one, those feelings of loss can manifest physically. Some of the milder signs are:

Consuming thoughts of the person
Feeling lovesick
Feelings of loneliness or isolation
Being distracted
Intrusive thoughts
Sense of logging
Eating more or less than usual
Upset stomach
Headaches
Difficulty staying or falling asleep

By keeping these signs in mind, you can create a sense of self-awareness that allows you to better navigate these emotions. If symptoms develop beyond these, you may be experiencing symptoms of depression. Especially if these signs accompany a lack of interest in things that once brought you joy.

Finding Happiness When You Miss Someone

Some of these methods might seem overly simple in the face of complicated emotions. Often the smallest things are what can help us rediscover our inner happiness. When you see that you’re missing someone, you can use some of these tactics to cope with the feeling of loss:

Accept how you feel

Fighting against an emotion strengthens it. One of the quickest ways to move beyond missing someone is to acknowledge it for what it is. Emotional acceptance makes space for you to feel the emotions without judging yourself or denying them. Research shows that practicing this level of self-awareness can be helpful for mental well-being and make it easier to cope with overwhelming feelings.

Find a distraction

There’s nothing wrong with feeling the way you feel. There’s also nothing wrong with distracting yourself from it once you’ve acknowledged the emotions. Hobbies are a handy way to redirect your mind. Redirecting your energy in a positive way, maybe learning a new skill or reading a book, can help manage the feelings of loss while you fully process them.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude is an expression of thankfulness and appreciation. Research shows that practicing gratitude has a multitude of positive effects on our mental health. It can promote feelings o happiness and boost overall well-being. If you’re missing someone, it might be helpful to focus on how you’re grateful for the relationship you have or had with that person. You can turn this into a journaling exercise by writing down all the reasons you’re grateful for them.

Take care of yourself

Self-care is an essential part of recovering from grief or just taking care of yourself while you miss someone who is away on a trip. Schedule time for you to meditate, do yoga, or take a hot shower. Make sure you’re eating healthy and getting enough sleep. Managing overwhelming feelings is easier if you make sure you’re meeting your basic needs.

When to Look For Help

If missing someone causes you distress or symptoms that interfere with your day-to-day life, reach out to a healthcare professional. Grief and loss are common and share some feelings about missing someone. These symptoms can also lead to feelings of depression and anxiety. Sometimes, missing someone can lead to conditions like complicated grief. The earlier you seek treatment, the better.

If you are having trouble after a loss, grief counseling can help. Reach out to us to learn how we can help you.

Finding Happiness When You Miss Your Loved One