Helping Others To Cope With Grief
When someone is feeling grief after a loss, it can be difficult to know what to say or do. You may be afraid of intruding or saying the wrong thing and making them feel even more discomfort.
You might think “what can I actually do to make things better”.
The reality of your comfort and support can make all the difference to someone who is feeling grief. No, you can’t take away the pain of their loss, but there are many ways to show someone who’s grieving that you care and offer to help them through their difficult time.
- The Grief Recovery Handbook: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses Including Health, Career, and Faith
- James, John W. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 01/10/2017 (Publication Date) – William Morrow Paperbacks (Publisher)
Last update on 2024-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Helping Others Overcome Grief
If you have ever gone through the grieving process, you would think that when you do it again, you will handle it better the next time around. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. You will feel just as bad each subsequent time. It’s a necessary process in life, however. Where experiencing it previously can come in handy, is helping others who are going through the grieving process.
If you are faced with trying to help someone who is grieving, make sure that you are not trying to force your experience on them. People feel grief in different ways. What worked for you will not work for everyone. Try to hone in on how the person you are trying to help is dealing with the situation and go from there.
Tips For Helping Others To Cope With Grief Video
The most important aspect of helping soften grief is to be there for that person. This is especially true after the dust settles and there is no one left but the grieving person.
- It’s important to remember that everyone’s grief is unique.
- There is no timetable for grief
- So don’t impose a time limit on your support.
- It is important to be patient and understanding
- Don’t feel like you have to constantly be talking. Be willing to sit in silence
- Please don’t use this as an opportunity to convert the grieving to your beliefs.
- Avoid using cliches when trying to console someone
- Let them know that you’re there to listen.
- Listen with compassion
- It is not about you so don’t talk about your own losses or problems unless asked.
- Keep your motivations in check. You will never take the place of the deceased.
- Don’t avoid conversations that involve the deceased, but let flow naturally if it comes up.
- Offer practical assistance and ongoing support
- Keep an eye open for warning signs of depression
Then there are ceremonies and gatherings.
These are good for the people grieving and helps to get their mind off of the situation. But, eventually the crowds die down, and a feeling of loneliness can overtake those who are grieving. By sticking around for a bit longer, you can take away those lonely feelings, at least temporarily.
Sometimes staying silent and just listening can be the best advice when helping others to grieve. They are trying to come to grips with what is going on and the last thing they want to hear is, “it’ll get better,” or something along those lines. Just let them do most of the talking.
Be ready to help when they ask for it.
Offer to run errands for them if that is what is needed. People who are grieving don’t think much about eating, so make sure that they get food and watch them eat.
- Forsythia, Shelby (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 208 Pages – 09/29/2020 (Publication Date) – Zeitgeist (Publisher)
Last update on 2024-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
At first, they don’t believe they are hungry, but once they start eating, they find they are much hungrier than they realized.
Try to keep alcohol use down to a minimum, if at all. It’s easy for people who are grieving to use their situation as an excuse to go overboard with alcohol. This can turn into a long-term problem if it is not kept in check.
When the crowds are there for the ceremonies and gatherings, there will likely be alcohol served. It’s okay for the people grieving to have some, as long as it is moderate.
It’s important to remember that it can take time for a grieving person to start to feel ‘normal’ again, so don’t expect one or two visits to make everything go back to ‘normal’. Their life and reality have been changed.
The most important part of helping a person who is feeling grief is just by being there, by being present, so make yourself available.
