Grief is a painful thing to handle. To properly take care of your friends and family members in grief you should first empathize and then try to take extra...
Grief is a painful thing to handle. To properly take care of your friends and family members in grief you should first empathize and then try to take extra steps toward revitalizing their lives. There are many ways to gradually add fun into the life of a grieving person like getting them to go hiking which has been touted as having very healing effects on grieving people. You could suggest a vacation that offers a change of pace and environment as well as creates a chance to connect with others. Grief therapy also helps because it involves people with the expertise to handle grief. These are just part of a list of things to do to gradually add fun to the life of a grieving person. Read the rest of the article for more.
The often undiluted and confusing emotions that come with grief more times than not leave people in a state far from where they normally used to be. Some can shake off the funk by themselves but others may require external help. Therapy is highly recommended for people who are grieving. The help of a professional expert who has studied and has useful insight into the human experience is a lifeboat for plenty of people who may find themselves drowning in their grief. Everyone's grief is unique to them and so is the time they take to get back some sense of balance. The influx of entangled raw emotions when grieving is something therapists are trained to handle. This is why recommending therapy to a loved one in mourning can help them a lot. Therapy can help people work through their trauma, accept the loss of a loved one, work through possible feelings of guilt and build a support system that will help them cope. The greater the inability to deal with the despair of grief, the more the need for therapy. Friends and family can do a lot, but sometimes there is only so much they can do.
Many believe and attest personally to the healing power of nature. Hiking is an activity that provides a bit of fun while helping with the healing process. Hiking clears the mind and brightens one's mood. It can prove to be a sort of walking meditation acting as an exercise for the body and mind. Distance and pace are not important factors for such hikes. The important thing is getting the grieving person to do an activity that helps them. The change of pace and environment can be quite calming and a great interlude to normalcy for a person in grief. The serene hike environments are great incubators for reflection. Hiking has a lot of pros. It is fun, it helps bring some balance to a person in grief, it improves cognitive functioning, helps improve quality of sleep, helps with insomnia, eases depression, and can provide a supportive community (in the case of grieving people who opt to go as a group).
Travel provides some escape from the blunt force of grief. Travel is a great way to add fun to the life of a grieving person. It is also healing. Grief can call for isolation and answering such a call makes people sink deeper into grief. Traveling comes with new experiences and adventures which can take away some of the attention a grieving person might have used to dwell on their situation. Travel lets grieving persons change the pace of their lives for the better. It puts them in contact with others and socialization is a good mood booster better than grief-imposed-isolation. Traveling comes with relaxation and reflection making it a great way to add fun to the life of a grieving person. Some travels are done to pay tribute to the memories or wishes of loved ones who have passed away. Such travels involve going to the favorite places of loved ones or places they talked about wanting to go when they were alive. These travels are very therapeutic.
Creating things had a way of being fun and lifting moods. Art therapy provides a way to express the overwhelming pain brought on by grief. Art therapy could be photography, dance, music, making scrapbooks, pottery, paintings, decorating things, wood and stone carving, cloth making, etc. These things could be about a loved one or may be abstract, but either way, it is good for a person in grief. Art therapy has always existed. Many men have channeled grief and created art(famous and unknown ones). However, it was not until the 1940s that it became a formal practice after doctors noticed that people living with mental conditions expressed themselves with art. This discovery lead to art therapy being tried in other ways as a healing exercise. One does not have to have the dexterity of Picasso to take part in art therapy. There is no good or bad art in art therapy. The goal of art therapy is expression. This hopefully translates to healing. The lack of strict requirements is part of what makes art therapy a great way to add fun to the life of a grieving person.
A good movie can help with emotional relief and understanding. It is an easy way to add fun to the life of a grieving person. Good movies on grief can be used to help grieving people comprehend the feelings they are passing through. They provide momentary distractions. Movies on grief help most children who are going through grief and have a little handle on what to think of all the pain. These kinds of movies help people get attuned to bottled-up emotions. Many have confessed about such movies push them to cry their hearts out and feel better afterward having released some of their grief. The movies need not be about grief. The most important thing is for the person in grief to enjoy it no matter the genre.
Grief knocks people off their saddles and leaves them in the dirt. The best and only thing people in grief can do in this case is to dust themselves up and get back in the saddle. This is easier said than done. But there are a few ways to gradually add fun to the life of a grieving person. Some of the ways are grief therapy, hiking, travel, art therapy, and movies.
https://whatsyourgrief.com/self-care-ideas-for-grievers/
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/grief
https://bearfoottheory.com/benefits-of-hiking/
https://www.jewelrykeepsakes.com/art-therapy-and-grief
https://www.cinematherapy.com/birgitarticles/griefandhealing.html
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and owner of Overcomers Counseling. I'm dedicated to helping individuals find strength and healing through life’s challenges. With a deep understanding of mental health and years of professional experience, I specialize in fostering hope and resilience while equipping her clients with tools to thrive. Passionate about empowering others, she creates a safe, supportive space where everyone feels seen, valued, and capable of overcoming obstacles on their path to well-being.
It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who is grieving, but sometimes simply being there for them and offering your support can be helpful. You might try saying something like, "I'm here for you if you need to talk" or "I'm sorry for your loss." You could also offer to help with practical tasks such as running errands or cooking meals.
It is completely normal to feel dread or even fear when thinking about the upcoming holiday season. One way to ease your anxiety is by planning ahead and being prepared for how you will deal with tough moments. If there are certain events you know will be difficult, try to come up with an exit strategy beforehand so you can leave if needed. It can also be helpful to talk to a therapist or counselor before the holidays to help you manage your expectations and emotions.
Dealing with grief involves allowing yourself to experience grief, seeking support from family members or a mental health professional, and taking care of your physical health. It's also important to remember that everyone grieves differently and there's no "right" way to grieve.
Grief may feel worse at night because sleep disturbances are common during the grieving process. As nighttime falls, distractions diminish and we're left alone with our thoughts, which can make the loss feel overwhelming.
Ignoring grief can exacerbate symptoms and make it more challenging to manage over time. This can result in a negative impact on your personal, professional, and social life, leading to feelings of isolation, chronic sadness, and even physical health complications.
It's important to remember that you are allowed to grieve however you need to, and that doesn't mean you have to ruin the holidays for everyone else. If you need to take a break from holiday festivities, do so. Go for a walk, take a nap, watch a movie—whatever you need to do to take care of yourself. You can also try talking to your family about your grief ahead of time and asking for their understanding and support.
