5 things to help cope with grief

This article was sponsored by BetterHelp.

The sad thing about grief, is after the funeral, after the service your grief is still there. Some may have moved on, some may expect you to be better, but grief is its own battle. It doesn’t end after the service, in many ways it just begins. Coping with grief isn’t easy but maybe a few things could help.

For my family and I, the end of grieve still seems far away. It’s still threatening to overtake us. And it still seems overwhelming. We still have moments where we can’t breathe. I still w0p-pish it wasn’t true. I still get sick when I think of that day.

Today, I felt the need to do another grief post. I never thought I would be having to write about grief and I’m thankful that my readers are understanding and supporting me in my need to talk about this. Today I am sharing 5 things to help cope with grief. I say help because I know that nothing but time and Jesus can really help you cope. 

1. Scripture

Like I said above, Jesus is really the only coping mechanism that can do any good. Along with that, His scripture can be a light in the darkness. As I’m coping I am reminded of His word and all His promises. My dad wrote some scripture cards that we have found while going through his things and one verse has brought me so much comfort. John 10:28  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. Don’t you love how God works? One of the verses we found was about salvation- a constant reminder that I will see my daddy one day.

Scripture is Gods gift to us, our constant connection to Him- aside from prayer. I strongly encourage you to cling to scripture while coping with grief.

2. Worship

Along with Scripture, worship is another light in our darkness as we cope with grief. If you are struggling with grief and loss, find some good worship music and spend some time alone with God. I always find worship music so comforting and I can find it helpful even in the darkest of times. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about good worship songs for the grieving– make sure you take a look.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a Christian or religious, I challenge you to listen to a few worship songs when you’re struggling with grief.

3. Support

The only thing apart from Jesus that has helped a little while coping with grief is the incredible support I have around me. You will need support from someone at some point in your journey with the loss.  There are times I want to be left alone but other times that I need the people around to come in and comfort and encourage me.

If you’re struggling, allow your friends and family to help in some way even if it’s just simple support of sitting with you while you cry. God gives us fellowship and friends for a reason- let them help.

4. Momentoes

The verse I spoke of earlier has become one of my greatest mementos. It’s a simple white card with a scripture handwritten in my dad’s handwriting. I keep it with me at all times because when the grief seems too strong, I think of the good things and times I had with my daddy.

I’m a very emotional and sentimental person so these momentoes are really important to me personally. If you are too, find a few items that are special to you and let them bring you joy in those dark times. Maybe its a stuffed animal, a picture, or a card…either way, I pray that you let it bring you a smile instead of just pain.

5. Counseling

My family and I are big supporters of counseling. If you feel like you need to talk to someone, go get help. If you feel like the grief is too much, go talk to someone. There will never be anything wrong with getting help. Never be embarrassed to need help, especially in the face of grief. My family and I are discussing getting some family therapy, praying about it. Never be ashamed of it. Please, make sure you get some help if you need it. Therapists are there to help coach you on how to cope and how to make sense of all your feelings.

I know if you are in the midst of grief, these things might seem trivial and unlikely to help. But I personally have found these few things to help as I am coping with grief. Everyone is different but I pray this helps someone out there. Do you have any more things to help? I’d love to hear. If you’re new to counseling, BetterHelp is a great online resource for understanding therapy and the types of therapy.