Last Updated on June 3, 2022 by Marie Bautista
Grieving is a kind of experience that people will definitely go through in life. However, we may be missing the right kind of words to say when faced with a loved one in grief. For others, it’s difficult to see a loved one struggle, so they wish the sadness would go away sooner.
However, inhibiting a person’s freedom to grieve can be excruciating. On the other hand, being open to discussing sorrow helps people recognize that it’s a lifelong process. Therefore, it’s important to express your support for a loved one at this difficult time.
Indeed, the loss of a loved one isn’t something that anybody can recover from in a single night. A heartfelt condolence note might give them the courage to carry on. However, that individual will need time to cope, adjust, and take control of life changes.
Likewise, with your support, your loved one can cope and adjust more after the death of someone important to him. And so, if you want to know how to support a loved one who’s grieving, read on.
- Talk About The Grief
It’s normal to feel afraid about making the situation worse for your loved one who’s experiencing grief. We usually find ourselves saying words we don’t intend to display, falling short of words to say, or totally avoiding the individual.
You may simply sit back and let your loved one talk. Allow them to speak freely and honestly about their feelings. When people feel that someone is listening to them, they’re more likely to share their thoughts and feelings. Being an excellent listener is the best way to show empathy and compassion during this tough time.
In addition, don’t attempt to rationalize the loss. It’s not going to provide them with any comfort. The kindest thing you can do is reassure them. If they ever feel the need to speak to someone, you can remind them that they got you.
Furthermore, give them hope by telling them that they have a network of friends and family to help them. You may also let them know that you’re ready to assist them to get over their grief.
Overall, having a loved one who experienced the death of someone close is painful. As such, you might consider searching online for how to write a condolence message to help you offer sympathy to your loved one.
- Provide Practical Support
Individuals usually need practical assistance after the passing of a loved one for two common reasons. First, because their deceased loved one tends to handle particular things and take specific roles in the past. And second, grief causes them to have a hard time being aware of the details of everyday life.
And so, ask yourself questions about what kind of assistance your loved one needs and what personal skills you can provide. However, suppose you notice that you aren’t the best individual to offer support concerning a possible need.
In that case, you may ponder buying a gift certificate so your loved one can hire someone such as a cleaning service or caregiver to help them with their everyday needs. However, if you think you can keep up with filling up your loved one’s needs, here are a few examples of practical support that you as a family member can offer:
- Cleaning the house
- Assist with taking care of children or pets
- Help with the yard tasks
- Being with them on specific outings
- Deliver meals
- Help with odd jobs around their home
- Watch For Signs Of Depression
It’s expected that your bereaved loved one feels depressed, disconnected, or confused. But if your loved one has symptoms that don’t cease to fade or symptoms that only get worse over time, this may be a sign of a more severe issue, such as clinical depression.
Encourage the bereaved individual to go to a mental health professional. Especially if you notice some of the following signs after the initial grieving period, more so if it’s been over two months since the death.
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Extreme focus on death
- Challenges in functioning normally in everyday life
- Hallucinations
- Withdrawing from others
- Sharing thoughts about dying or suicide
- Compromising personal hygiene
- Lack of ability to enjoy life
If you’re going to tell your loved one to visit a mental health professional, do so by avoiding being invasive. Instead, state your feelings in a statement, such as saying, ‘I am troubled that you’re talking about suicide and are withdrawing from us, perhaps you should seek help.’
Take Away
Grieving is a normal part of life as death is a natural part of being in this world. However, people might not have enough words to say when confronted with a grieving loved one despite it being prevalent. In addition, others might also not know what to do to support them.
As such, it’s worth noting the ways to support such a loved one. This is so you’ll know what to do to ease the stress of your loved one who has lost someone precious.