How to Help Someone Who is Grieving

Experiencing a loss can profoundly affect a person, emotionally, mentally, and physically. If a family member or close friend has recently lost someone, it’s easy to feel helpless, and you may be uncertain how you should act around them. While you can’t make their pain go away, you can be there to support them and guide them through the healing process.

Here are a few tips on how to help a loved one who is grieving:

Offer practical assistance

Make yourself available to help your grieving loved one with day-to-day tasks. Offer to prepare or drop off meals, watch kids and pets, and perform household chores. Drive them where they need to go. Take them on outings – to the park, to the library, on a shopping trip. The smallest things can mean a lot to a person suffering from the pain of loss.

Lend an ear

Let them know that you are there whenever they need you. Talking about the loss is important for those grieving; ask them how they are feeling or discuss your memories of the lost loved one. Remember: Don’t offer empty words like “I know how you feel” or “You’ll get over it in time.” Such sentiments mean little to someone who is grieving. Instead, note that while you may not completely understand what they’re going through, you are available to listen when they want to talk.

Acknowledge the loss

Many people make the mistake of ignoring the loss and expecting the bereaved to resume their daily routine as if nothing had happened. This is not a healthy way to heal. Each person grieves in their own way, and for some people the process may take longer than others; there is no reason to rush it. Don’t feel you have to avoid mention of the deceased’s name. The grieving will not have forgotten the loss, and indeed may want to talk about their lost loved one. Remember that acknowledging the reality of the loss is an important step in the healing process.

See SevenPonds’ After Death for more information to help you after a death.