10 Ways to Help Deal With Grief

There are so many people who deal with grief on a daily basis and so many ways in which grief is shared among everyone that it is often hard to know how to handle grief. Finding ways to cope with grief is something that may not seem easy at first, but there are more than a few ways that it can be done. If you or anyone you know is struggling with grief and want to know how to cope, here are ten ways that you can help deal with grief.

1. Get The Support You Need

Surrounding yourself with a great support system is one way to work through any type of grief that you might be experiencing and it is also a great way to make sure you are staying on a positive path while healing from your grief. Make sure you have friends and family that you know will be your support and be there for you whenever you need them to help you through the rough times. Whether it's by phone, text, or even email, you can make sure that your support group is there to give you the encouragement that you need to get through every moment of grief.

2. Volunteer with Animals

Animals are more than just pets because they can literally light up anyone’s life and make it so much easier to deal with feelings of loss that come with grief. Try volunteering to help care for animals or even fostering animals that just need a little extra love and attention. This is a wonderful way to do something good, but also a distraction to help deal with negative thoughts.

3. Choose a Hobby

Having a hobby is a great way to help anyone cope with grief and it can be any hobby you can think of. Whether it’s collecting coins or painting, a hobby can greatly help with giving you something positive to focus on and clearing the mind of grief. If you don’t already have a hobby, make sure you choose a hobby that is easy to start and can keep your mind occupied for as long as you need it to.

4. Exercise

A lot of stress from grief can come when you least expect it and it can come in waves at a time. If you want to combat that stress, you have to understand that it comes from anywhere and hormones can play a huge part in your anxiety over grief coming forward. Exercise is one way that you can fight those hormone levels and ease anxiety from grief.

Whenever you feel like grief has taken over too much of your thoughts, you can make time to exercise in order to calm your hormone and stress levels and bring you some peace of mind in the process. This doesn’t even have to be any type of intense workout because even something as simple as walking can help to calm the worry that comes with grief. So when you feel that familiar feeling of grief come up on you, take a moment to do a little workout and do it as often as you need to help clear your thoughts and ease your mind.

5. Write Down Your Thoughts and Feelings

If there was ever a way to help get thoughts and feelings out in a healthy way, it would be through the use of journals. Sometimes, instead of saying anything out loud, or even talking to others, it may be more comfortable to write down your feelings in a journal. Whether it’s for the loss of a mother or son, there are personalized journals that you can use yourself or give as gifts to help others cope in their time of grief.

6. Cry Whenever You Need To

When you’re grieving, there is never anything wrong with letting those emotions out in a healthy way and one very healthy way is letting yourself cry whenever you feel the need to. Crying is a part of the process and it’s important to be able to cry when you want because it can help get emotions out that you are otherwise not able. Whether you have a shoulder to cry on or you just want to cry alone, it’s perfectly fine and a completely natural part of the grieving process.

7. Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Thoughts

During the time that you're grieving, there is always a jumble of thoughts going through your mind and not all of them are going to be good thoughts because your mind is still trying to deal with the grief. It may be difficult at times, but you can work towards coping by finding positive thoughts and memories that you can replace the negative thoughts with as soon as you have them. This helps to push the negativity away and brings a sense of calm along with good memories and a more positive outlook overall.

8. Give Yourself Daily Activities

When it comes to dealing with any amount of grief, the biggest and most productive way to get through your grief is by giving yourself enough distractions to take up your time and leave you with little time to actually experience any negative feelings. Plan each day out if you need to and make sure you have enough positive activities to fill your entire day, every day. This can be anything from activities like swimming, to working on your favorite hobbies.

Anything that’s going to be your “happy place” is what you should consider as a great daily activity to help fill your mind and soul with positive thoughts.

9. Understand That This Feeling Will Not Last Forever

Probably the hardest thing to understand about grief, especially when it comes to the healing process, is that the feeling of loss that you are going through right now, will not last forever. Having the understanding that there will be a day when that grief is not there, is something positive to look forward to. Knowing that there's something in the future, a time when you don't have to experience the pain that comes with grief is a good way to give yourself a positive outlook.

10. Take Care of Yourself

Probably the most important part of the grieving process and even learning how to cope with grief is realizing the need to take care of yourself above everything else. You might be the type of person who goes out there and wants to do everything you can to help everyone else, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, you need to understand that you have to take time for yourself in order to help yourself feel better. Be sure to do little things like giving yourself a mental check, drinking your favorite tea or coffee, or even taking a moment to breathe in some fresh air.

All of these things are ways in which you can easily take care of yourself during the grieving process. Remember that it’s perfectly okay to get the support that you need from family, friends, or anyone who can be in your corner during this time, as well consider volunteering with animals to ease your mind and heart. Coping further can involve either working with a hobby you already have or choosing a new hobby to keep you in a happy place and thinking about adding in a few exercises to keep your spirits lifted.

A journal is going to be a safe and healthy way to get your feelings out and even if you feel the need to cry while doing this, that is yet another way to help in the healing process that comes with grief. Replacing negative thoughts should be like a daily ritual in times of grief and also make sure you have enough healthy distractions throughout each day to occupy your thoughts. You also need to know that feelings of grief will not last and that you should always focus on taking care of yourself in every way during the grief process.

Take it day by day and sort out your feelings throughout each day to help you better manage how you should go about coping. It's never a bad thing to give yourself plenty of relaxation time and enjoy the positive aspects of life that can help get you through the grieving process. Just know that getting through grief will take time, but there are more than enough ways to help you with the process.