Grief Coping Strategies

Losing a loved one almost always prompts a natural human response known as grief. A form of emotional suffering, grief can also occur in response to any major loss, including job loss, relationship breakups and loss of personal health, among other triggers. Everyone grieves differently. You might find that employing some grief coping strategies can help you make it through the rough times with a little more ease.

Acceptance

• Accept your need to grieve as a natural and normal part of the healing process. Allow yourself to cry if and when you feel like it. By the same token, do not feel as though you must cry in order to grieve properly. Acknowledge your emotions by expressing them to both yourself and others. You may feel anger, despair, guilt and denial as parts of experiencing your grief.

Support

• Other people can provide a major source of grief support and relief for the grieving person. Discuss your loss with friends and family, join a support group specifically for grieving people, or turn to a spiritual adviser or religious organization for support and solace. Specially trained grief counselors, available throughout the United States, offer one-on-one counseling to help people cope with grief.

Distraction

• One effective grief coping strategy involves distraction. Distraction does not mean denying the presence of grief, but rather, it provides you with a needed break from constant or persistent grieving. The Mayo Clinic suggests this tactic as particularly effective in coping with "anniversary reactions," or grief responses triggered by reminders of the personal loss you've experienced. Planning a social gathering with friends can help you feel less alone at such times.

Time

• Depending on the grieving person and the loss experienced, grief can last for days, months, years or even a lifetime. Since grieving has no normal time limit and everyone experiences grief differently, don't pressure yourself to "get over it" in a specific amount of time. Instead, allow yourself the necessary time and space to heal at your own pace. According to the Bertolon Center for Grief and Healing, working through grief commonly takes at least a year.

Personal Care

• Make an effort to attend to your personal needs during your time of grief. Eat well, sleep enough, avoid alcohol and engage in regular physical exercise. Exercise can keep you fit and also serve as a distraction and an outlet for dissipating anger and other negative emotions. Participate in activities you enjoy, perhaps in honor of your loved one. Journal, meditate or pray about your grief. Look for ways to bring laughter into your life.