Grief Listening Dos and Don’ts

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Karen Reardon under Cremations, Funeral Home
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Mint Hill, NC funeral home and cremation

When someone is deep into grief, it’s hard to know what to do. They worked with a Mint Hill, NC funeral home and cremation is in the past for their loved one. You might feel like you’re on the sidelines, helpless. You don’t know what to do or say to console them and while you can tell them you know how they feel, you never will fully understand. Here are some of the dos and don’ts that go along with supporting someone you know who needs help through their grief. Listen well and take this advice in stride to be there for them.  

Reach Out To Them 

The first thing you will want to do is reach out to the person in your life who is grieving. They’re going through a tough time and they won’t likely think to call or visit you. Email them, send them a letter, call them, or reach out in other ways. You want them to know you’re there for them in any way possible. Ask them to get together in a few weeks and follow up with another call when that time comes.  

Talk Less And Listen More 

You might be used to carrying your share of the conversation with this particular individual, but when they are grieving, commit to listening as much as possible and talking a little less. Let them talk about their emotions, their loved one, the funeral, or anything else they need to talk about. You may not get to tell them about the drama you have going on at work, but that’s okay for now. You don’t have to have answers for them, either. Just listening and letting them get it all out can help.  

Remember The Good Times 

If you knew their loved ones, share your memories of them or bring special photos to your friend to share. If you didn’t know them well, ask to hear stories about them to help your friend smile again at the memories they still have.  

Check In Regularly 

Everyone has a different timeline for grief and you never know what your friend will be on. Make sure to check in with them on a regular basis and see how they’re doing. Regular lunches, emails, texts, or phone calls will help remind them there are still people around that care deeply about them during their grieving period.  

Mint Hill, NC funeral home and cremation providers can take care of your friend’s immediate needs when their loved one passes on. However, you’re the one that has to help them through the grief later. Contact Heritage Funeral & Cremation Services at (704) 846-3771 if you’d like more ideas on how to help someone in your life through a tough time after a loss. We’re located at 3700 Forest Lawn Dr Matthews, NC 28104 and we’re here to organize final services, but we also want to help families through the grieving process in any way we can after the events are complete.