Losing a loved one is never easy. It's even harder when you experience more than one loss in a short period of time. That's the only way I've encountered death since I've been old enough to truly understand it.

When I was 15 and a freshman in high school, my mom passed away pretty unexpectedly due to cancer that went years undetected. That was the first time I ever really understood the loss that happens with death. Then, not even not even five months later, my maternal grandfather passed away too. Coping with both of these losses was really tough.

More recently, I experienced another double loss. My great uncle passed away slightly less than a month ago, and my great aunt passed away about a week ago.

While I was a little bit more well equipped to cope this time around, grieving has been hard. I can't even imagine how some of my other family members who were closer to my great uncle and aunt must be feeling.

In the midst of the difficult time, it's important to remember that we are all human and that all of our emotions are valid. They are natural and aren't going to go away overnight.

It may take time to adjust to, but it's important to begin to accept that things aren't the same anymore. At varying degrees, many of us have to find our new normal.

It's important to remember and hold on to all of the good (and bad) memories we have with our loved ones. We don't want to forget them.

The most important thing is that we all make sure we take care of ourselves. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to open up and talk about our feelings. It's okay to take some time off. It's okay to do things for yourself. It's okay to ask for help when you need it.