What should I do in the first days after an unexpected death to care for myself?

The first days after sudden loss are not the time for wisdom or grand gestures. They're the time for basic survival. Mirabai's devotion teaches us that love doesn't demand performance — it demands presence, even when that presence is just showing up to eat, sleep, breathe. Let other people handle logistics if they offer. Your job is not to be strong or "handle it well." Your job is to let the shock protect you awhile while you slowly land in the reality. This protection won't last; that's okay. Eat when someone puts food in front of you. Sleep when your body collapses. Don't make decisions. Let people sit with you in silence — you don't need to talk about it yet. The urge to understand what happened is normal; resist the urge to solve it immediately. Your mind will return to the moment of loss again and again. This isn't weakness. This is integration. If you can, keep one anchor: one person you can text, one ritual (tea, a walk, sitting outside), one way your body knows it's still alive. Grief after sudden loss is disorienting specifically because the future you planned no longer exists. You're not trying to accept it yet. You're just trying to exist in the next hour. One day, you'll realize you've moved through the shock into actual grief. That's when the real work begins. For now, just survive with gentleness.