How to Help a Grieving Friend

When the loved one of one of your friends passes away, you may experience some grief of your own, even if you didn’t know the person who died. Watching a friend lose someone they loved can make you feel helpless—especially if you are unsure about what you can do to help and support them. Although everyone is different and each individual has unique needs and boundaries when it comes to dealing with a loss, there are some basic things that you can do to ensure that your friend doesn’t feel alone in their suffering:

• Be there: After a loss in the family, your friend is likely feeling some loneliness or isolation, so make sure that they know you are there for them. Whether this means that you hold their hand through the process of making funeral plans in Lake City, FL or you simply sit quietly with them and offer a shoulder to cry on, your presence will likely offer some much-needed comfort.
• Listen more than you speak: It may be tempting to offer some advice to your friend or share your own stories of grief, but this might not be the time for those things. Instead, focus on listening to and hearing your friend. Allow them to use you as a sort of sounding board for their own feelings of grief. This gives them a chance to process their feelings out loud, which can be incredibly helpful during a period of mourning.
• Don’t distract from the loss: If you have trouble dwelling on sadness or grief, you might be inclined to distract your friend from their loss. While this may work to temporarily alleviate their feelings of sadness, it isn’t always a healthy way to address grief. Although mourning is difficult, it is a natural and healthy emotional state that allows people to process, grieve and heal from a death in the family.
• Offer specific help: You know your friend, so you probably have an idea about what you can do to help them. Offer to cook them a meal or do some grocery shopping so that they have plenty of food in the house. You can also offer to help with funeral plans in Lake City, FL. Don’t be surprised if you end up running around town to complete odd errands. Even though this might not seem significant, it can be incredibly helpful for a friend who has much bigger things on their plate.
• Know your boundaries: Every person needs to grieve differently, and they should never be pushed to act in a way that isn’t consistent with who they are. Some people want to reminisce and recall happy memories of their deceased family member, while others prefer to stay silent and process things internally. Don’t try to push your friend to act the way you think they should. Instead, support their specific grieving process.

At ICS Cremation & Funeral Home, we know how challenging it can be to make funeral plans in Lake City, FL after the death of a loved one. That’s why we are happy to take on every step of the arrangement and planning process so that you can focus on celebrating the life of your loved one and sharing support with friends and family members. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Categorised in: Funeral Plans

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