KC Kelly, Ph.D.

Grief is the normal process of reacting to either physical (i.e. death) or social (i.e. job, divorce) loss. All people cope differently with the emotional pain of losing anything they have treasured, and losing a loved one to death is no exception, but probably the most powerful of all losses. The grieving process gives people time to reflect and find new strength that can hopefully enable them to continue living.

Grief may be experienced mentally (i.e. anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair), physically (i.e. sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems, or illness), socially (i.e. taking care of others in the family, seeing family or friends, or returning to work), or emotionally (i.e. depression, anxiety, fear).

There is no right or wrong way of coping with death. Everyone has a different personality and different cope skills to deal with tragedy. The way people grieve or cope with death will depend on who they are, their cultural and religious background, their mental history, their support systems, their financial status and what kind of relationship they had with the person who died.

If you have someone in your life who is going through the grieving process, there are ways to help them.

Ways to help people who are grieving:

• Encourage them to express their feelings
• Encourage them to feel comfortable crying or venting in front of you
• Help them stick to routines or schedules
• Help them to remember good times
• Urge person to look to their faith community and/or a grief professional including possible online counseling
• Encourage person to consider a support group for others who are grieving the loss of a loved one
• Makes plans/prepare for difficult times such as holidays, birthdays or anniversaries
• Help clean out loved one’s things and use time to reminisce
• Suggest writing a letter to the loved one or keeping a journal
• Encourage laughter without guilt
• Share words of encouragement
• Encourage person to take care of their health
• Help with everyday chores

And most importantly:

• Be patient. Grief takes time and all people grieve in their own ways and time. Avoid saying things like, “You should be getting on with your life.”

If you are personally dealing with the death of a loved one or have other related issues such as depression or anxiety, etc., please reach out for help. Online counseling is a great way to get confidential, convenient and affordable help. Please know that you are never alone.

All my best,
Dr. KC

www.DOCintheBiz.com

www.GLCzone.com

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