Tips on Coping With Grief
Trying your best to cope after experiencing some form of grief can be one of the most challenging tasks you’ll ever be presented with. When you experience grief, you are left with an assortment of feelings to sort out. This is on top of having extra responsibilities to take care of due to your loss.
For you, grief may be depressing, overwhelming, and isolating. You may find yourself…
stuck in bed for days
skipping showers
forgetting to eat
distancing yourself from others
On the flip side, you may find it much easier to just suppress your emotions and continue showing up in this world exactly as you did before your loss. You may even feel the urge to do more like…
taking on more work responsibilities
showing up for others in their time of hardship
going out to social events more often
going on multiple trips/vacations
or spending more time engaging in your hobbies.
Whether you’re emotionally overwhelmed by your grief or seemingly getting along just fine due to suppressing your feelings, I would like to acknowledge that you’re probably doing your absolute best to cope. Once again, this is probably one of the most difficult challenges you may ever be faced in your entire life. However, these affirming words don’t change the fact that, deep down, you are hurting.
As a licensed mental health counselor, I want to make sure you have the necessary tools to process, feel, and cope with your grief. Below is a list of ways you can show up for yourself. This is how you begin to take steps toward healing.
Tips on Easing Your Grief in The New Year
Seek Out Social Support From Friends, Family Members, and/or Loved Ones
Sure, you may certainly benefit from confiding in others, but you don’t necessarily have to. Simply surrounding yourself with people who care about you could be just what you need in your time of loss.
Seek Out Professional Support By Going To Grief Counseling
Licensed mental health professionals are here to help. There are therapists out there, such as myself, Darryon Spencer, the grief therapist, who specializes in grief counseling. I am more than honored to listen, support, validate, and help you process your feelings. I am educated, informed, and capable of guiding you to a place of healing and wholeness. I am here to remind you that you are capable of experiencing joy, peace, and happiness once again.
Consider Going to Group Therapy
Experiencing grief can lead to you feeling isolated and lonely. If you’re feeling this way, then it may be beneficial to go to group therapy. By going to group therapy, you will…
receive support from a community of individuals who are also grieving
be reminded that you are not alone
realize that there are others out there that can relate to the pain you’re feeling
and come to find out that there are people who would be honored to show up alongside you as you navigate the emotional pain you’re experiencing
Engage in Healthy Coping Skills
Experiencing grief can lead to you suppressing, ignoring, or pushing past your emotions. You may have every intention of acknowledging and coping with your grief. But how does one cope with grief in a healthy way? It’s not like anyone teaches us how to cope with challenging life experiences such as grief.
Since we haven’t been educated on matters such as grief, we simply do our best to deal with the feelings we experience as a result of our loss. This leads so many of us to cope in unhealthy ways such as overindulging in…
drugs
alcohol
sex
excessive spending
and so much more
This is why going to therapy can be so helpful. In therapy with a mental health professional such as myself, you will have the opportunity to learn healthy coping skills such as…
meditation
journaling
affirming
mindfulness
body scanning
breath work
rationalizing negative automatic thoughts
You may be unfamiliar with some of these skills and that’s okay. No one taught you these skills in school, at home, or anywhere is. It’s not your fault if you don’t know these skills or feel like you’re not coping in a healthy way. You’re dealing with a lot of difficult emotions and you’re doing your absolute best.
With support from a mental health provider, you’ll be doing even better. If you work with a therapist such as myself, we’ll make sure that you learn the aforementioned coping skills. We’ll also make sure you receive the care and support that you deserve.
Engage in Self Care Practices
Like coping skills, there are so many self-care practices you can engage in as you navigate your grief. Some self-care practices include…
exercising
socializing
spending time outdoors
or listening to music
Self-care all comes down to taking care of yourself. This means intentionally engaging in activities that will contribute to your mental, physical, emotional, financial, social, and/or spiritual well-being.
Self-care can be…
fun and exciting
(like going on a vacation)
calm and relaxing
(like taking a bubble bath)
restful and rejuvenating
(like adopting a healthy sleep schedule that allows you to get a good night’s rest)
sacrificial and disciplined
(like taking a break from social media)
responsible and mature
(like scheduling routine doctor visits)
Self-care can also serve as a reminder. Self-care that may seem boring, mundane, and unfulfilling can serve as a reminder that you are capable of overcoming challenging things. And it can be argued that nothing is more challenging than coping with grief.
On the contrary, self-care that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled can serve as a reminder that you are capable of experiencing pleasant feelings once again. Which I imagine is something you’ve been struggling to experience since your loss and…
You’ve Struggled For Long Enough!
What you deserve right now is to receive some grief support.
So if you’re…
an adult living in the state of Florida, USA
and are interested in receiving individual therapy to better cope with grief
…feel free to get in contact with me at dcslmhc.com/contact to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.
I look forward to hearing from you and providing you with the empathy, validation, and listening ear you rightfully deserve.
Until then, just remember…
You are not alone,
You are not a burden,
And you are worthy of therapeutic support.
Start Grief Counseling in Broward County, FL
Grief can be overwhelming, isolating, and depressing. I provide online grief counseling throughout the state of Florida to adults just like you. By attending grief counseling online, you will receive the support you deserve. I am here to help you overcome your grief and process your loss.
Get Started with Grief Therapy by following these 3 simple steps:
Meet with skilled grief therapist, Darryon Spencer
Attend weekly therapy sessions to overcome your grief.
Other Services Offered by Darryon C. Spencer, LMHC
Darryon C Spencer, LMHC understands that you may be experiencing other mental health concerns which is why I also provide Therapy for Black Men and Women and Therapy for Burned Out Adults.
Be sure to check out the FAQs and About Me pages to learn more about the therapeutic support I provide!