Your Grief Journey
You Aren't Alone
While the experience of grief can be very isolating, we would like to help you take steps to counter the feelings of loneliness and disconnection. While the articles in our grief library can make a difference in your day-to-day life, please don't hesitate to call us should you need additional support. We will do our best to ease your bereavement and, if requested, provide a referral to a local grief counsellor or therapist.
When Grief Doesn't Ease
Sometimes it feels as if your bereavement will never end, and you’d give anything to have the pain go away. You are not the only bereaved who has longed for some measure of relief.
Grief counselors and therapists tell us that the length of time it takes anyone to grieve the loss of someone they held dear to them is dependent on the situation, how attached you were to the deceased, how they died, your age and your gender. So many variables exist, and there’s absolutely no way to predict how long it will take for you to adapt to your loss.
Helping Someone in Mourning
Though you may part company with the bereaved after the funeral, a true friend doesn't stay away long. A great friend keeps checking in.
Other simple tips include these:
- Ask how the bereaved person feels and listen to the answer. Don’t assume you know how they will feel on any given day.
- Listen and give support, but don’t try to force someone if they’re not ready to talk.
- Accept whatever feelings the person expresses. Even if you can’t imagine feeling like they do, never tell them how they should or shouldn’t feel.
- Give reassurance without minimizing the loss. Try to have empathy with the person without assuming you know how they feel.