How do you cope with grief and loss?
Grief is deep sorrow in response to a loss, often the death of a loved one.
We’ve been writing about funerals, grief, and loss in the death education niche for over a decade. Below, we’ve summarized and collected our very best articles. Anyone who has experienced bereavement (and those who want to help and support the bereaved) will find many useful grief resources below.
Learn about the grieving process, what to expect, and ways to cope with these difficult times in order to come to a place of healing as you remember your loved one.
What to Say: Top 10 Condolence Messages (VIDEO)
One of the most difficult things for those around the grieving person is knowing what to say. Here are over 100 condolence messages that will help you find the right words.
Even more so, the hardest of these “what do I say” situations will be talking to someone with a terminal illness, expressing sympathy after a sudden death or unexpected loss, and comforting bereaved parents after the death of a child.
We hope these resources serve you well.
What is Grief?
Grief is the emotional and physical reaction to loss. This is especially pronounced when a loved one dies.
We react to this type of loss with sorrow deep within our hearts and minds, upsetting the normal thoughts and feelings we are used to experiencing.
The natural response to the loss of a loved one can be so powerful that it affects the body. This results in fatigue or sleeplessness, headaches and appetite loss, and much more.
Yet each person is different, with unique needs and differing emotional reactions.
Read on to learn all about how the grief experience can affect you or someone you care about, and ways to find help, support, and healing.
The Grieving Process
Familiarize yourself with what you – or someone you care about – may encounter as they mourn the loss of a loved one.
Types of Grief
There are many ways people respond to major loss. Learn about the 16 types of grief and find tips on how to cope in your situation – or how to help a friend.
Common types of grief include:
Stages of Grief
Professionals have proposed several “models” of how grief works. The most famous by far is the Kübler-Ross theory of The 5 Stages of Grief, published in her 1969 book On Death and Dying.
These five stages are:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Since then, others have developed the model further and proposed alternate ways of understanding how humans process grief.
Learn more about the grieving process.
Symptoms of Grief
Grief symptoms will vary depending on the person, the nature and relationship of the loss, and other physical, emotional, and situational factors.
Primarily, symptoms are shown emotionally and also physically.
Emotional Symptoms
May include:
- Sadness
- Numbness
- Anger
- Shock or disbelief
- Inability to stop crying
- Fear and worry
- Guilt
- Relief (and guilt for feeling relief)
- Irritability
Physical Symptoms
Can include:
- Increased blood pressure
- Heart palpitations
- Sleeplessness
- Headaches and nausea
- Appetite and weight changes
- Tiredness / fatigue
- Weakened immune system
Learn more about the symptoms of grief and what grieving can do to your body.
Duration of Grief
“How long does grief last?” This is one of the most common questions people have about the grieving process.
The honest answer is: It depends.
A quick generalization is: You will likely grieve strongly for several months, perhaps a year or more. Over time, the immediate, gut-wrenching pain will subside as you process and learn to live with the loss.
But the reality is: Each person processes grief differently, and the impact from death of a loved one will always be with you in some sense.
Read our Grief Timeline for a more thorough answer to this important question.
Productive Things to Do as You Grieve
Realize that grieving takes time. You are on a grief journey. You will not forget your loved one, nor should you. But with time the raw wounds will mend, and you will be able to treasure and appreciate the memories you shared.
Seek out a supportive environment. This can be among family members, at church, regular meetings with a close friend, individual counseling with a grief counselor, participating in an online community, or in a bereavement program.
Take time to learn. There are many online resources, including the site you’re on right now. We have plenty of helpful tips and useful information on a variety of grief-related topics, so please make use of our site.
Collect memories. Journal, scrapbook, create an online memorial site, put together photo albums.
Get outside. Spend some time in nature. Go to a favorite park, or beach, or walking trail. Fresh air and the beauty of creation are some of the best ways to respond to a broken heart.
Rest. Grieving is hard work! While you will certainly have things that need to be done, including funeral planning, dealing with the estate and will, being there for your grieving children, and more, you also need to take time to care for yourself and your physical needs.
Let others in. To get everything done and take care of yourself, you’ll need to let others help. Your friends and family will be ready to provide compassionate care, helping with errands and chores, bringing meals, or simply sitting with you. They want to help, so feel free to let them do so.
Grief Support
Allowing compassionate friends and family members to show their support is imperative. While you can and should have alone time to process your thoughts and mourn in private, grief is not something you should carry on your own. Let others in – they love you, and want to help.
Other options for grief support include:
- Grief counseling services
- Grief support groups
- Mental health counselors
- Pastoral care
- Online discussion groups
There are many bereavement support options, ranging from national organizations to peer support groups in your local community. Here are a few well-known professional organizations:
- GriefShare. Christian-based grief support groups all around the United States.
- Grief in Common. Online community for grief and loss.
- Dougy Center. Portland, Oregon based support network with centers around the country.
Read more about your options for counseling and support here.
Grief Resources
10 Meaningful Ways to Express Sympathy
Now that you understand a little something about the grief process, let’s think well about how to show support and express sympathy to someone who is grieving.
1. Offer condolences
Even if you feel awkward or aren’t sure what to say, say something. By doing so, you’re affirming that the grief your friend is feeling is real.
It’s a simple as saying, “My condolences to you in this difficult time.” Here are more ways to say it.
2. Send flowers
It’s traditional, and sure, maybe a little stereotypical, but there’s a reason why everyone sends flowers to honor a departed loved one.
You can send flowers for the funeral, directly to the grieving family to express your sympathies, or send a memorial gift instead of flowers.
3. Attend the funeral
Be sure to attend the funeral or memorial service. This sends a signal to those who grieve that you care enough to sacrifice your time in order to be there for them.
Read more:
4. Bring a meal
This one is easy to do, and means a lot to the recipient.
Here’s our guide on making and delivering sympathy meals to your grieving friend.
5. Send a sympathy gift
Bring a small gift if you’re able to visit, but if you can’t be there in person, send something.
This could be anything from food and practical items to something creatively personalized as a memorial keepsake.
Whatever you give, put some thought into it to make it sweet and meaningful. Here are 29 of our favorite sympathy gifts.
6. Offer to help
The trick here is to be specific. Do not say, “Let me know if you need anything,” because, of course, they won’t.
Instead, say, “I’ll be in your part of town Monday, can I watch the kids or run an errand for you?” or “My husband has a riding lawn mower and wanted to know if you’d like the lawn mowed, since we know Gary always did that.”
Here are 83 very specific ways to offer help and provide comfort for your grieving loved one. This could involve taking them to their grief support program meeting, helping plan the memorial services, creating a resource list for the funeral or for grief.
Use your imagination and be creative in how you offer and follow through on ways to help.
7. Acknowledge their loss
Remember that your friend will still mourn long after the funeral is over.
Everyone else goes back to life as usual, but your grieving friend has had their world turned upside down, and will never be the same.
So continue to acknowledge their loss. Don’t be afraid to talk about the departed person, and know that it’s ok to say the person’s name. When you don’t, your grieving friend can feel as if everyone is “ghosting” the loved one, pretending they never existed.
Instead, check up on your friend. Ask how they’re doing, share a memory of their loved one with them, let them know you miss him or her, too. This will mean a lot.
8. Pray for them
This one isn’t very popular to recommend anymore, but your grieving friend will understand and appreciate the authenticity of your faith expressed in prayers on their behalf.
Here are 50 comforting sympathy prayers you can pray with and for them.
9. Be patient and understanding with them
Everyone grieves differently. They’ll have good and bad days; times where they want company and other times they need to be alone.
Go with the flow, and don’t get easily offended. Be understanding of where they are in the grieving process.
At the same time, do what you can to encourage them to grieve in healthy ways, grow, and avoid being complacent. Here are 22 tips to help you care for someone who is grieving.
10. Just be present
Truly be there for the grieving person. Be ready by phone or text to offer support, and also be ready to drop what you’re doing and head over at a moment’s notice.
Show up with a coffee or some fresh baked goods, hang around and be present. Listen to them if they want to talk, and don’t try to fix anything. Let them grieve.
If they need to take a nap, sit on the couch and read a book or bring your laptop and get some work done. If they have kids, babysit or take them somewhere (and remember that kids grieve, too).
Don’t be pushy and remember to give space as they need it. But your presence can be a genuine comfort during this difficult time.
Best & Worst Things to Say
Here are some examples of what to say so someone after the death of a family member, and what to avoid.
What to say
- Tip: Say the decedent’s name. (Here’s why)
- One of my favorite memories of [name] is…
- You can cry.
- I don’t know what to say. Just know that I love you and am here for you.
- What can I do to help you right now?
What to avoid saying
- I know what you’re feeling.
- Life goes on.
- Be brave. Be strong. Hang in there.
- God wanted another angel in heaven.
- When my wife’s uncle died…
- You can always have another child.
Don’t be overly worried about saying the wrong thing; it’s more important that you say something. Still, do your due diligence and learn about what to say and what not to say to someone who is grieving.
Read next: 10 Things to Take to a Grieving Family