To Help Someone Who Grieves

The following advice is found on take home cards in our exhibit, Reflections on Grief and Child Loss.

To help someone who grieves

Allow a person to be in pain. There is no “pulling someone out of their grief.” Instead, be a companion to a grieving person.
Don’t try to “fix” grief or give advice. Just stay with them. Let them feel held, safe.
Be comfortable with discomfort. Awkwardness or irritation that comes from witnessing someone else’s grief is often
the fear that it could happen to you.
One cannot compare one’s grief to another’s. It is individual.
Don’t try to distract a grieving person. Meet them where they are, rather than where you think they should be.
Grief has no timeline. It is not a healing process, it is a learning process that may never end. It does not need
to be healed because it is normal.
Recognize grief is natural and universal. If you love, you will grieve.
Reach out and show up. Be a loving, supportive, non-judgmental presence. Just be.