I really like the idea everyone above suggested to journal. Many people prefer to journal privately, others in a blog open to some others. I did the latter. It was very therapeutic for me.

When my mom died almost 15 years ago, I practiced "avoidance". That was indeed detrimental to my mental health. After my nephew passed two years ago, I wrote and wrote about my feelings. Also as part of my grief recovery, I engaged in some activities that made me feel I was making a positive difference. For example, my nephew died from suicide. I then did some advocacy work, including writing to politicians about mental health issues.