How to Walk Through Grief As a Teenager

As a teenager, the grief you face could come from the death of a parent or friend, the loss of your home or not reaching an accomplishment you had your heart set on. The way you handle your grief either makes you stronger or puts you into a place of fear. As a young person, with so much life ahead of you, facing your grief and learning how to handle your emotions is a hard, but necessary, life lesson.

Instructions

• 1

  Show your feelings. A teenager's feelings are just as important as an adult's feelings. It is common to feel sad during a period of grief. Male teenagers do not need to fear being looked at as weak if they cry. Allow yourself to feel the stages of grief -- denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Understand that you may feel more than one emotion at any given time. There is no wrong way to express grief, as long as you do not harm yourself or others. Writing a song, painting a picture or taking up a sport are just a few choices you have.

• 2

  Talk with a caring adult about your feelings. If you do not feel comfortable sitting down and having a conversation, go for a walk while talking. Do not worry about protecting the listener's feelings. The job of a caring adult is to understand you are hurting and that you do not know how to handle such strong emotions.

• 3

  Express your grief artistically. Painting, sculpting or music are all effective avenues to express your grief. If you play a musical instrument, write a song that expresses the stages of grief you are going through. Having the song play fast and loud expresses anger. Changing the melody to slow and soft expresses sadness. The outpouring of emotions has the ability to help you feel better, if only for the moment.

• 4

  Read books that offer suggestions on dealing with grief. For book suggestions, ask your guidance counselor at school, your pastor or a therapist. Talk to someone about the information you have read in the book. If you have questions, ask them. No questions are too silly to ask.

• 5

  Tell your parents or caregivers if you need space. There may be days when you need to be by yourself to handle your grief; this is a natural part of the grieving process.

• 6

  Honor the memory of your loved one if the grief you are facing is a death. Donate time or money to a cause the person was fond of. Continue a tradition the loved one started. Look at pictures and watch family videos. Write notes to the person. Anything that helps you remember and feel close to the person who died will give you strength during your grieving.

• 7

  Remember that not all adults know how to handle grief. An adult may say things you do not like in an attempt to help you feel better. It is okay to tell this person you do not wish to talk about it, as long as you do talk to someone.