Providing Support to Someone Grieving

December 15, 2022

Providing Support to Someone Grieving

The sun is shining through the branches of a tree in a cemetery.

The holidays are a time of year steeped in tradition and joy. Or at least in theory.

This can magnify the loss of a loved one for many, which can make it a stressful time for all. When a loved one is grieving, it can be hard to figure out how you can best help them. How do you make sure that you are providing them with the support that they need? How do you make sure that you don’t say the wrong thing? 

Your support matters

Just your support and a hug can mean the world to someone who is grieving. Don’t overthink it, just be there for them. Don’t be afraid to invite someone that is grieving to be part of the celebrations, but let them know that there is no pressure for them to attend.

Don’t deprive yourself

The holidays are a great time to recharge your batteries and enjoy yourself. Do not hold back in enjoying this time. If it makes it more comfortable, carve out time when you can celebrate and enjoy privately.

How you can help

Remember that you can’t fix someone’s sorrow. Grief is a process and it takes time and a lot of inner work. Also respect the choices of the individual when it comes to holiday celebrations. If they choose to be alone and it is safe for them to be alone, then let them. Grieving is exhausting, so give them the time to regain their energy.

Don’t avoid the person grieving

And don’t go to the other extreme and avoid them all together! Death and grief are part of our lives so we shouldn’t feel uncomfortable with it. Just treat the person with compassion, kindness and respect.

Take care of yourself

Remember to take care of your emotional and physical wellbeing too. Being around someone who is mourning can draw from your energy bank as well. Make sure to take some time yourself as well whenever needed.

Volunteer

Another helpful strategy is to ask the person grieving to volunteer in the community with you. Serving a higher purpose and feeling part of something bigger can be very healing.

Honor the person who is no longer here

Most importantly, find a way to honor the memory of the person lost. This can come in many forms like prepaying for the coffee of the person behind you in line at a coffee shop or donating money to a charitable cause that was close to the deceased person’s heart.

We are here to help

At Memorial Funeral Home, we are here for you if you need support. We have staff members who are very knowledgeable about grief and have been trained to offer help and resources.

Also, feel free to stop by the funeral home to pick up a free copy of “Grief and the Holidays” workbook.

 The post Providing Support to Someone Grieving appeared first on Newport RI | Memorial Funeral Home.

By Gabriella Iannetta November 24, 2024
Memorial Funeral Homes & St. Lucy’s Catholic Church are proud to announce a local stop for the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit national tour.
a man in a green elf costume is standing next to a woman in a red cape .
By Pearl Marvell November 21, 2024
Memorial Funeral Home will host its annual showing of “Elf” at the Jane Pickens Theater on December 15th at 2pm! Doors will open at 1pm and entry is free with a donation of non-perishable food items for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center.
A photo of a caravan and a skeleton and flowers.
By Gabriella Iannetta Calabrese October 15, 2024
There’s no definitive answer on when, exactly, humans started to bury their own people–spouses, siblings, parents–because burial sites were hardly preserved.
A woman in black gloves is holding a picture of an older woman.
By Gabriella Iannetta Calabrese October 15, 2024
When Steven Wilson was diagnosed with terminal acute myeloid leukemia he was flooded with memories of his boyfriend’s funeral in 2014. He soured remembering the minister only knowing his partner’s name and nothing more, Wilson told the New York Times . 
By Pearl Marvell September 6, 2024
There are a few things that you need to know...
By Pearl Marvell July 11, 2024
Hay varios tipos de duelo y no todos son iguales.
By Pearl Marvell June 27, 2024
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center's Community Programs Manager, Melanie Saunders gave some of the Memorial Funeral Home's staff a tour of MLK's new and improved space this week. "All we can say is wow! We are so lucky to have a community center like this one that helps so many people in our community," says Memorial's Director of Community Relations, Kim Shute.
By Pearl Marvell April 12, 2024
Not only is Holly a good girl, she is a busy one. Since joining the Portsmouth Police department, Holly has been attending lacrosse games, reading events at the Portsmouth Public Library, and providing joy and comfort to children at Portsmouth Middle School and beyond. Holly's training was entirely paid for by community donations (a big shout out to Clement's Market!) and her overall upkeep and any additional training will continue to be funded by donations. Needless to say, Holly has been a wonderful addition to the Aquidneck Island community, and has provided children with a way to destress and decompress, even when other forms of help haven't been as effective. Who doesn't want a little bit of puppy love! How old is Holly now? A little over a year and a half, she'll be two in July. She's still pretty young. When we get home, she's got more energy than all these kids combined! You already have a dog at home. How is that interaction? Oh, she's obsessed with him. He's going to be five next month, so he's not old, but he's getting a little up there. Yeah, but he'll he'll wrestle and stuff. Just something. She's a little much for him. Sometimes he'll be like, all right, enough. I'm going to take a nap. But, uh, she's just completely in love with him. Did you know that she would be living with you? I wasn't sure how this whole thing was going to go when I first pushed it. Yeah, I kind of figured that a dog would live with me. I just I didn't want to get a puppy because a lot of people around here had puppies, and I just didn't have the time or energy to train a puppy. As much as I love puppies, I just wasn't sure about that. I was pretty sure she was going to come home with me. I wasn't sure how he [his other dog] was going to take it. They are very much like kids, you love them, but you also know when you have reached you limit of how many you can have. Two is is my limit too [laughs], I'm good with that. How did this whole process start? This is my second year and sometime at the end of last year/ beginning of this year, we just had a casual conversation with the school [Portsmouth Middle School], talking about comfort dogs and what not, and kind of word made way to my department that I was talking about it. I got a call into someone's office and they said, "Hey, we know you're talking about it and the chief's all for it. He's with you if you want to do this." you can go. I started kind of just googling and looking into different companies that do the trainings and what not. And when I went to a comfort dog symposium at Brown University, I found out about this organization, Puppies Behind Bars . They told me about it and how they get the puppies and they raise them in prisons and train them there. And when they're ready, I go to New York for two weeks, train with them, and I bring her back. And I thought that was absolutely perfect because, like I said, I just I didn't want a puppy, and it saved a lot of money with all donations. I actually planned on doing this next year. I thought I was gonna have the dog ready for next year, but I emailed Puppies Behind Bars and they said in November, "Yeah, we have a class in January." So things went super, super quick, but it's worked out so well. I mean, she's been huge impact on the school. Is she going to go to all the different schools or just Portsmouth Middle School? All the elementary schools too. I bounce around. Can you walk me through a normal day with her? So I come in around 7/730 am. A normal day is kind of tough because every day something different. Sometimes, I'll go into certain classrooms and because she was new, I introduce her, talk about her, show off a few of her commands. She's got like, 40 commands, so I do about 7 or 8 for the kids in the class. I let them pet her, and I'll do that in 6 or 7 classrooms a day. Other times I have the social workers send me a schedule of certain kids they think really need Holly for the day, for therapy session. Today, one of the kids who earned points for one of our clubs gets to sit with her and play fetch with her. Two weeks ago, I was at one of the schools and Holly and I read a book to one of the kids. It really depends on who emails me first and gets to me is kind of how we schedule it. I assume she must be in high demand She's in very high demand here. I keep telling myself I have to get a planner for her so that I can remember everything. It's unbelievable that just when people see her, their faces just light up. That's awesome. I mean, for you, it must be really interesting going into these schools and just kind of getting that interaction with her and the kids. That must bring you a lot of joy on a daily basis. I'm a huge dog person, so that was incredible, and yeah, whenever I walk in in the morning, it's every staff member. They just light up, and come and pet Holly. And then the kids come in and do the same thing. It's just huge. The principal was telling me that it's a huge game changer just to have a dog in the school. Even the police station, whenever people see her, the morale just boosts when she's in the room. The last question is what does she like to do during the off time like on the weekends and and after hours? That's a good question and important question. So actually during school hours I give her between 20 and 30 minutes of fetch time outside. I take a long lunch so she can, you know, just be a dog. When we're at home, I actually live near a school in Westport. and there's a big field there. She likes to play fetch. We go to dog parks that she loves. When the weather gets warmer, she's a big swimmer, so I have to take her on some hikes around lakes. She loves the water. You can follow Holly on Facebook here and follow her on Instagram @comfortdogholly! Donations can be made out to and/or dropped off to the Portsmouth Police Department.
A cliff overlooking a body of water with rocks covered in moss. There is no right way to grieve
By Kim Shute April 1, 2024
Understanding different grieving styles
The next thing in sustainable funeral burials might just use an ingredient you have in your fridge
March 5, 2024
Dutch startup, Loop Biotech, focuses on creating coffins and urns made from mushrooms as a way to “collaborate with nature to give humanity a positive footprint,” the startup’s founders Bob Hendrikx and Lonneke Westhoff say. “We all have different cultures and different ways of wanting to be buried in the world. But I do think … The next thing in sustainable funeral burials might just use an ingredient you have in your refrigerator Read More » The post The next thing in sustainable funeral burials might just use an ingredient you have in your refrigerator appeared first on Newport RI | Memorial Funeral Home.
More Posts
Share by: