Grief: Understanding Your Feelings and Supporting Others
When someone dies, grief can affect everyone differently. You may feel sadness, anger, confusion, numbness or relief. You might find it difficult to concentrate or manage everyday tasks, or you may find yourself moving between moments of deep sadness and ordinary life.
There is no right way to grieve, and there is no timetable.
Grief doesn’t always follow a predictable path. It can change over time and return unexpectedly, even months or years after a death. You may also experience grief following other significant losses, such as a change in health, independence, a relationship or the future you imagined.
You do not have to work everything out today. Give yourself permission to take things one step at a time, accept practical help and reach out to people you trust.
How to support someone who is grieving
If someone you care about is grieving, you don’t need to find the perfect words or try to make their pain go away. Often, the most helpful thing you can do is listen, acknowledge their loss and keep showing up.
You can offer practical help, such as preparing a meal, helping with children, running errands or assisting with arrangements. Continue checking in after the funeral, too. Grief doesn’t end when the immediate arrangements are over.
Avoid telling someone how they should feel or when they should move on. Ask what they need, respect their response and remember that everyone experiences loss differently.
Find more support and guidance
The Don’t Be Caught Dead podcast features conversations with grief counsellors, psychologists, death doulas and people with lived experience of loss. These conversations explore grief, trauma, ambiguous loss and how we learn to live with change.
Read the full Critical Info article:
Understanding Grief: How to Cope With Loss and Support Someone Who Is Grieving →
You don’t have to know everything. You just need to know what to do next.
More from Critical Info
For the practical steps after a death, see the first 24 hours, or visit the Critical Info Resource Hub for organisations and services that can help.