Coping with grief

Grief is a normal human response to a loss or tragic event in someone’s life and it affects everyone differently.

When faced with the loss of someone close to you, it is natural to experience a wide range of emotional and physical responses. 

Some of the ways that grief can manifest include:

• Feelings of numbness and shock are common
• Other feelings such as anger, denial, confusion, sadness and guilt
• It can affect how people think and process information, making it feel like you are in a daze
• Grief can affect people’s health and wellbeing as they may not look after themselves as well as they should

If someone close to you is grieving, one of the most important things to remember is to just be available to support them.

Another common thing you might hear is that “time is the best healer”. While time may help lessen the pain, healing will often take effort to work through as well. For most people, the healing process  happens gradually. For some it might be learning to adjust their life to accommodate the loss and changing routines. For others it can be a journey of understanding and accepting what has happened and how it impacts them.

Grief is a complex, multifaceted and individual set of emotions so it is important to recognise that it will be felt differently by everyone.  If you or someone you know is struggling with grief, there is support available. You can find a great range of resources at My Grief Assist that includes reading material, book suggestions and links to support groups.