Baking

For a long time baking is something I attempted to do every so often. It is also something I would fail at every time I tried. Little did I know the importance of measuring out ingredients exactly, and sticking to the recipe. Once you realise that, baking is actually incredibly easy.

I started baking a lot more after losing Ben. It was something productive to fill my days with. Since then I have become better and better, I have actually impressed myself. I have now began to get orders, and it has become a way for me to make money whilst having a positive and productive distraction from whatever else I may be dealing with!

My favourite thing to make is actually brownies, probably because they are my favourite thing to eat. Despite this my specialty seems to have become cupcakes, as this is what people place the most orders for. Making cakes and decorating them to me is very therapeutic, it  is calming and easy to focus on 100%. Testing out different recipes over the past few months and making them so often that I now know them from memory has been hugely enjoyable. Mainly because it meant I got to sample each recipe for myself, but that is besides the point…

I recently made a facebook page for my cakes which you can find here:

http://www.facebook.com/megansbaking57

Now I know to many this probably seems like the most boring post in the world. Yet I will post it because this is something that has helped me to cope during an incredible difficult time, and I feel it is important for us to share our coping mechanisms, so as to help each other!

   
                 

Grief

It is a sad truth that in some stage in your life, you are most likely going to lose someone who means a lot to you. The loss of a loved one affects us all in different ways because we are all different, so it only makes sense that our grieving process would be too. To me, the most important thing to remember when you lose someone is that you are not alone in your grief. There will be other people struggling and no matter how saddening it can be, it is important that you come together with those people to celebrate the life of the person you have lost.

I believe that should be the priority. Coming together to share photographs and stories, to continue to enrich each others lives by sharing new things about the person you have lost. Nothing can ease the pain of losing someone you love but knowing that you are always going to have people to talk to, and memories to look back on, goes a long way in helping you get through the day.

I know this is a subject that a lot of people avoid, but it is important to talk about. Life is short so remember to utilize your time to the best of you ability. Spend time with people you truly love and do the things that make you happy. Losing someone is never going to be easy, but knowing that person made the most of their time, however short, can be a reassuring thought.

I feel I must stress that having a strong support network is essential. Seeing a friend who is devastated can be truly heartbreaking, but regardless you must ensure they know that they have your support. It is okay not to know what to say, and sometimes you don’t need to say anything at all! Just be there for your friend and make them know they are not coming to terms with this loss on their own.

Lastly, it is okay to struggle. Losing someone important is not something we are expected to be able to cope with. However you feel is perfectly okay, even if you don’t feel anything at all. Just remember to reach out, don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by your grief. Speak to friends, family or even a professional. Just do not isolate yourself because as I said at the beginning; you are not alone in your grief.