One of the hardest things to have to go through in this life is dealing with the death of a loved one. And while these can be dark times in anyone’s life, it can be almost just as challenging if you love and care for someone who’s trying to grieve the loss of their own loved one. It not uncommon for people to feel so completely helpless when attempting to support those who are grieving. But luckily, there are some things that you can do to help make the situation marginally easier for those left behind. To show you how, here are three things you can do to help someone grieving the death of a loved one.
Don’t Be Afraid To Reach Out
Because you might not know what to say to someone who’s grieving, it’s natural to feel like you should just leave that person alone so as to not make the situation worse. However, leaving someone without support during this time could be the worse thing to do. According to Amy Hoggart, a contributor to Time.com, simply reaching out to someone who’s grieving can help them feel better. Knowing that there are people who care enough to ask how they’re doing or even just give condolences can help immensely in going through the grieving process.
Be Prepared To Listen
A great service you can do for someone while they’re grieving a death, according to Melinda Smith, Lawrence Robinson, and Dr. Jeanne Segal, contributors to HelpGuide.org, is to just listen to them. When grieving, people generally have a lot of different thoughts and emotions that they’re trying to deal with. But by having a trusted friend that they can speak to about anything they’re thinking, feeling, or going through without fear of judgement, they may be able to better deal with the circumstances they find themselves in. Just be sure, however, that you’re really ready to listen to the potentially sad or scary things that your grieving friend might express to you.
Offer Support For Their Specific Situation
People who’ve suffered a loss in their lives often need help dealing with some of the basic tasks that they normally perform. So depending on who they lost and what type of void is now left in their life, Audrey Ewell, a contributor to Medium.com, recommends that you try to offer support in a way that will be beneficial to their specific situation. If a parent lost their spouse, consider bringing in meals for their family so that their children will have something to eat. If someone’s financial provider dies, a gift card might be helpful. Or you might even think about setting up a GoFundMe page for others to band together and offer financial aid to someone that has lost someone close, this can help with many financial difficulties and even help cover funeral costs, etc. Whatever your loved one might be needing at this time, try to fulfill those specific needs to the best of your ability.
If you have a loved one who’s grieving the death of someone important to them, consider using the tips mentioned above to help give support and care to those suffering.
