Grief Awareness Day

Grief manifests in each of us differently. Some of us try to isolate ourselves whereas some even make jokes about their pain. It is important to understand the way that you process grief and to be aware that others process it in their own way. 

With National Grief Awareness Day coming up August 30th, we’d like to share a few tips for helping you grieve and for supporting others who are grieving. 

 

Think of activities you like to do and make a list of them. This way when you’re feeling too sad to think of something that would pick you up, then you can grab that list and choose an activity from it. It doesn’t even need to be a fun activity, calming and relaxing activities are great for mental health as well. 

We as humans tend to avoid and repress anything that makes us feel sad, but that can be unhealthy. Many people abuse substances to stop themselves from thinking about their pain, but it makes you feel worse in the long run. Allow yourself to think about your loved one and all your memories of them so you can start to process your grief and begin to heal. 

Was there an activity like a daily ritual or a volunteering event they used to participate in? A great way to feel closer with our departed is to do some of the things they used to like to do. You get an insight into their life, the things that they enjoyed, and you feel closer to your departed loved one.

 

When in a mourning state, it is easy to neglect basic tasks. The dishes start to pile up, the house gets dirty, and the person grieving feels like the world is falling apart around them. Helping them complete around-the-house chores makes them feel less overwhelmed and able to focus on healing. Bringing food is a great alternative as well, since sometimes people's pride makes them less open to others doing their housework.

There are plenty of grief resources out there, but a person who is grieving isn’t as likely to seek them out for themselves. That’s where you can help them do that research. One example of a great resource center is Grief.com. This website not only produces its own grief resources, like blogs and podcasts, but also links to other resources, like movies about grief.

No one wants to feel alone in their time of grief. It doesn’t mean you have to make grand gestures or do anything huge, but even simply sitting and chatting lets them know that you’re there for them. It’s comforting to have family and friends going out of their way to check in on you and it validates your feelings of grief that it is worthy of feeling the way you do. 

 

Have any tips for grieving or helping others grieve? Share them in the comments below.