Around 500 BCE, the Buddha said that life is suffering. This was such an important revelation for him that it was the first of his 4 Noble Truths.

Today, over 2500 years later we may use different words or longer phrases to describe our experience of life, but his words remain intrinsically true.

Everyone who is born will die. Sorry to ruin your cornflakes, but this is a truth that cannot be avoided.

No-one alive can avoid experiencing loss of some kind or another and for each of us it is raw and painful when it happens.

Whether it is a cherished brother or sister, our partner, a child or a doting parent – at some point in all our lives we will experience the intense and lonely agony of loss.

It is at these times when we feel that we are the only ones suffering – that we are totally alone in the world. Life becomes suffering.

The good news is that you have a pool of over 7 billion people who know exactly how you feel. They have all lost someone or something precious too. They understand. You just don’t know it.

So the best way to deal with loss (after the initial shock) is to reach out. Connect with another human and tell them your story. It takes courage, because not everyone is ready to help others. But you will find someone who responds and it will help you both.

When you realise how much you were helped by one person connecting with you, you will do the same for others. And this will help you even more.

Through sharing our stories of loss and of those who touched our lives (however briefly), we can help someone else to feel less alone and that is an amazing thing to be able to do.

Close your eyes and listen to this beautiful song by the Carpenters – Superstar. It’s not directly about death – but the sense of loss, longing and loneliness that is conveyed in this song is incredibly powerful – and ultimately uplifting. Listen, then be open to connecting with someone – you never know how much you can help until you try.