Have you ever had a person you deeply care about go through a terrible loss and you didn’t quite know what to say or how to help? 

In our culture here in the United States, grief is so misunderstood. People often are very well-intended, but say things to their friends, co-workers, and family members in an effort to help that ultimately leads to greater isolation for the person in grief. 

In this week’s episode, Elizabeth Mintun shares the “do’s” and “don’ts” on how to best support someone experiencing intense grief. She offers details and actionable steps that will hopefully support anyone wanting to be there for someone who is currently grieving. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Advice-giving and attempting to “cheer someone up” is typically not helpful (and even potentially damaging) to someone in the grieving process. 
• Everyone’s experience of grief is unique; one person’s grief cannot be compared to another’s. 
• Offering to step in either to simply compassionately listen or to offer acts of service to lighten the load for the griever tends to be the most helpful. Telling a griever to “call me if you need me” isn’t usually helpful because that puts the work on the griever to reach out at a time when they’re exhausted and in survival mode. 

Resources: 

https://refugeingrief.com/

https://www.thecalmingground.com/free-guided-meditation

“I love Elizabeth and The Calming Ground Podcast.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Your feedback on this platform helps me support more people - just like you - move toward the balanced life they desire. Scroll to the bottom, tape to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! 

Also, if you haven’t done so already, remember to follow the podcast so you keep receiving the wisdom and insights of all of these amazing humans!