How to Cope With Grieving

Experiencing a loss through death, divorce or physical distance of a pet, person or object can be hard to deal with, especially when there has been a large emotional investment into the relationship. The grieving process is different for everyone and the length cannot be determined by an equation. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D. broke down the process into stages as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, but not everyone goes through each stage or experiences them in the exact order listed.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Journal Support Network Hobby (Hobbies)

1. Accept the loss. Do not pretend that the event did not happen or that the loss is unimportant.

2. Express feelings as needed. Men often express their feelings by taking action or taking up an activity, whereas women may express their feelings through emotional expressions such as tears and angry outbursts. Keep a journal and document feelings as they come up.

3. Keep your health up by doing regular exercise and eating moderate nutritious meals. Get enough sleep each night and eliminate as much stress from life as possible. Many people experience depression or apathy with grief, but keeping your physical body healthy will help your mental health recover more quickly.

4. Keep a support system and contact them as needed. Recruit only supportive, loving and close family or friends who understand your loss. Get together with one or two of these people regularly so that you do not remain alone and so that you have activity to occupy your time.

5. Enjoy pleasurable activities such as hobbies and events. Continuing with activities will help the mind to think about something besides your grief, and hobbies will help you use your time more productively.

6. Time will help to heal wounds. By accepting and adjusting to a new lifestyle, the process of grief will pass by more quickly. Moving on does not mean that the loss will be forgotten, just that your emotional perception of it has changed.

Tips & Warnings

• If the grief and sense of depression keeps getting worse, seek professional help. Having a counselor or therapist to help talk you through your feelings may help. Prescription medication may be given to alleviate the depression.
• Avoid secluding yourself from others and the world. Times that are tied to what has been lost, such as birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, may be more difficult to deal with than other days.

References

• Psychology Today; Good Grief: Coping After Loss; Lyba Ma; May 2003
• Optum Healthcare: Grief and Loss

Resources

• Mental Help: Grief and Bereavement Issues

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