Essential Coping Tools When Dealing With Loss

By: Matthew Funeral Home
Monday, October 16, 2023

After the loss of a loved one, you may feel like your whole life is turned upside down. And after dealing with funeral arrangements and families coming in from out of town, it can be hard to pick up the pieces. Coping with a loss is never easy, but there are some simple strategies that can help you take a step forward through your grief. This article will discuss some practical coping tools that those dealing with grief find helpful.

Self-Care is Important

It is easy to let our own care slip when there is so much on your plate. Self-care doesn’t just mean spa days and treating yourself to something nice (although, this can help sometimes). Ultimately, you need to provide care for yourself. Make sure that you are eating, bathing, and overall just taking care of yourself in general. Drink water. While comfort foods can be helpful during this time, be sure to eat a few nutritious meals too. Grief and stress put a lot of strain on your body, so take care of it.

Disassociation is Normal

It is common for grieving individuals to lose focus, be forgetful, and disassociate. This is all normal. Understanding that it happens, and forgiving yourself when it does, is a part of working through your grief. Ultimately, it is important to recognize when you are having these moments and navigate through them safely. If you are finding it hard to focus, consider calling a ride-share or asking someone else to drive.

Humor as a Coping Mechanism

Humor can be a good way to work through emotions. It may be hard to be in a light-hearted mood while you are grieving, but comedy can lift your spirits. Try watching your favorite funny movie, or a comedy special. You aren’t trying to dismiss your grief, but rather find positive emotions among the wreckage. 
Additionally, sharing funny stories and memories of the loved one you lost can be a good way to embrace humor. Happy memories can be healing.

Getting Active

Let’s face it. For most people, it's hard enough to hit the gym when we aren’t feeling grief. But exercising, in almost any form, is a good way to make us feel better. When you get active, your brain releases endorphins that make you feel better. Exercising is also a form of self-care. So whether you do a few yoga poses, go for a run, or pump some iron, moving your body can be an important tool in coping with loss while caring for your body. 

Talk to Someone

Reaching out and talking about your feelings can be a great way to work through your emotions. Try talking with a close friend or family member that you can trust. Additionally, you may want to consider looking into professional assistance. A grief counselor or therapist may be able to help you work through your grief. Also, grief support groups may be helpful to you. Most grief support groups bring together others in your community experiencing loss and guide them through discussions designed to help you all work through your emotions in a safe manner. 

The author of this post is not a professional therapist or counselor. For assistance in finding a grief counselor that is right for you, there are a number of resources out there. For our Grief Resource Center, written by Dr. Bill Webster, click here. 
For over 50 years, Matthew Funeral Home has been serving the Staten Island community. We can help with almost every aspect of your loved one’s memorial service. Our family is here to serve yours, every step of the way.

Leave a comment
Name*:
Email:
Comment*:
Please enter the numbers and letters you see in the image. Note that the case of the letters entered matters.

Comments

Please wait

Previous Posts

How Does Cremation Work?

Most people understand that cremation is a process by which the remains of the deceased are burned and converted to ashes. But there are many steps to the process in order to ensure that everything...

What To Do When a Loved One Passes

When a loved one passes, there is going to be a lot of pain and grief. Loved ones will need to be contacted and brought together. But there are also a few practical steps that need to be taken, as ...

Combating Senior Loneliness After the Loss of a Spouse

After the loss of an elderly loved one, their spouse can feel incredibly lonely. After spending a long time with a partner, losing a spouse can be difficult. For many, this is a time of learning to...

Why You Should Consider Cremation

Cremation is a topic that many people may find uncomfortable or difficult to discuss. For a long time, it was not accepted by many major religions, most notably Catholicism. However, it is an impor...

Leaving Your Digital Assets Behind in 2023

The internet has evolved in many ways since the advent of the smartphone. And more people use social media and other websites to express themselves daily. Many elderly individuals have learned how ...

Supporting a Bereaved Coworker

When a coworker has a death in the family, it can be important to support them during their difficult time. There is no clear-cut or easy way to help someone who is grieving. But lending a supporti...

Processing Anger in Grief

Anger is the second stage of grief, and it is often one of the hardest to deal with. Anger can be a raw emotion, and it is easy to be overwhelmed during your grief. This article will discuss how an...

What Does My Religion Say About Cremation?

Cremation is rapidly becoming more and more popular in America, with a projected over 54% of Americans opting to cremate in 2020. If you or a loved one are considering choosing cremation for your e...

Reasons You May Want to Contest A Will

After your loved one passes, their Will will be presented, if they have one. It is possible that you have some issues with how your loved one has divided their estate. Generally, an individual shou...

Tips for Pre-Planning Your Funeral

Pre-planning your funeral may seem strange, but it is a practice that can help you and your family in the future. People often see pre-planning a funeral as morbid, similar to how many people feel ...