How to cope with bereavement and grief

The death of a loved one can have an enormous impact on your mental health. In this article, you’ll find wellbeing tips from Good Thinking and links to other useful resources.

Whether you’re feeling anxious or numb, angry or sad, it’s important that you acknowledge your emotions and look after yourself when grieving. To help you do this, the Good Thinking team has developed a range of resources, including bereavement guides for various faith communities.

Many people find it helps to talk about their feelings with someone they trust – a friend, a relative, a faith leader or someone else. You could also speak to your GP, a trained counsellor or a peer support group.

If you’d prefer to speak to someone you don’t know (either by phone or online), you can find details of helplines in the ‘Useful websites’ section below. You might like to start by visiting the AtaLoss directory of bereavement support services.

The time immediately after someone has died can be particularly distressing. In the coming weeks and months, you could go through four stages of grief: accepting that your loss is real, experiencing the pain of grief, adjusting to life without the person you have lost and finally feeling that your grief is less intense and that you’re able to focus on other positive aspects of life again. Of course, everyone’s experience of grief is different and you will have your own personal journey.

As you move through these stages, your grief might feel out of control but your feelings should become less intense over time. If you find that you’re struggling with your grief, please talk to someone (e.g. your GP) about getting professional support. You can find details of bereavement support services on your local council website and in the ‘useful websites’ section below. If you’re struggling to cope and need urgent support, please contact your local NHS 24/7 mental health helpline.

When someone dies, there is a lot to organise and this can be very stressful. You might be the person responsible for registering their death, arranging their funeral and considering how to manage any property they own. You might also have the difficult job of breaking the news to other people.

With so much to do, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself. Try to eat healthily even if you don’t feel hungry. Stick to your normal routine if you can and make sure you get enough sleep. Do some light exercise, even if you feel exhausted. If you’re worried about funeral costs or other bills, find out if you can get any bereavement benefits.

The ‘useful websites’ section below includes organisations that provide practical advice about dealing with the death of a loved one.