Coping Strategies After Losing Someone You Love
Grief is one of the most human experiences we’ll ever face, and yet it’s one of the hardest to talk about. Losing a loved one—especially unexpectedly—can shake the foundation of everything we thought we understood about life, love, and ourselves. Whether the loss is recent or something you’ve carried for years, navigating grief can feel like wandering through unfamiliar terrain with no map. In this post, I’m sharing some of the insights and tools that have helped me process my own losses and support others through theirs. My hope is that these words offer comfort, clarity, and a reminder that you don’t have to walk this path alone.
Why Validating Your Emotions is Crucial for Healing
One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is that healing starts with giving yourself permission to feel. Grief doesn’t follow a timeline—it’s messy, nonlinear, and filled with waves of sadness, anger, disbelief, and even guilt.
When my mother passed away unexpectedly, I remember being flooded with emotions I didn’t know how to hold. But trying to suppress or rationalize them only prolonged my pain. Real healing begins when we stop trying to fix the feelings and start acknowledging them. Your emotions are not too much. They are the language of your grief, and they deserve to be heard.
How to Navigate the “What Ifs” and Regrets
Regret is one of the most challenging parts of grief, especially when the loss is sudden. The mind naturally replays moments, looking for something we could’ve done differently. “What if I had called more?” “What if I had seen the signs?” These questions can feel never-ending—but they’re rooted in our need for control in a situation where we had none. Guilt can be a coping mechanism, but it keeps us stuck in the past. Healing means learning to release the narrative of blame and choosing, instead, to meet yourself with compassion and grace.
Practical Tools to Process Grief
Grief doesn’t just live in the heart—it lives in the body, too. That’s why I lean into tools that help bring me back into the present moment when the emotions become too much.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is one of my favorites for calming the nervous system and re-centering. I also recommend scheduling a daily grief check-in—even just ten minutes to ask yourself, “How am I really doing today?” Movement is another powerful ally. Whether it’s dancing, stretching, or even just taking a walk, moving your body helps release emotions that words can’t always touch.
Grief invites us into a world we didn’t ask to enter, but in that world, we can still find healing. We can still feel joy and we can still grow. There’s no perfect way to grieve, only your way. Give yourself permission to move through this process at your own pace, knowing that you are not alone. Every step you take to honor your emotions is a step toward honoring your love for who or what you’ve lost. Sending you deep love and gentleness as you navigate this path—and always, always reminding you to take care of yourself.