grief
Death doesn’t just disrupt a person’s life – it can change it forever. When someone you know experiences a bereavement, it may be hard to know what to say or how to offer comfort and support. This is particularly true if you have not experienced a bereavement yourself. There are many ways to support someone who is grieving.
“We must be given time to grieve: each person grieves in a different way. Even though the experience is universal, it is also intensely personal.
We may think we are over the worst of our grieving and then a particular day, place, a song, some little thing, makes us stumble again into sorrow.
Let there be, therefore, time for the blessedness of those who mourn.” Words from a Pillow From My Heart, compiled by Verna Holyhead
How to help a bereaved person in the first few days after a death
Contact the bereaved person as soon as possible after the death. This might be a personal visit, telephone call, text message, sympathy card or flowers. Attend the funeral or memorial service if you can, they need to know that you care enough to support them through this difficult process. For more information pop onto the Australian Centre for Grief & Bereavement where you will find helpful resources for yourself, family or friends. ACGB Home (grief.org.au)
Here’s a comforting song for you to listen to at any stage during grief.
Dealing with grief and loss is something everybody has to do at some point in their lives.
Grief is a natural response to the loss of someone or something very dear to us.
Losses that may lead to grief include the death of a loved one or a beloved pet, loss of a marriage or job, or other major life changes like becoming an “empty nester” or retirement.
You might have heard that healing from grief happens in ‘stages’.
In this post, you will find an explanation of how the stages of grief work and the best summary of each of the 5 stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
