End of Life: A Grief Support Resource Guide

Coping With Grief and Loss

Everyone experiences and copes with grief in their own way.

Grief and Bereavement

There is no timetable for grief.

Physical Symptoms of Grief

Dry mouth, lack of energy, and feeling weak or exhausted are common physical symptoms caused by grief.

The Normal Physical and Mental Symptoms of Grief

Grief also causes mental symptoms, including confusion and bad dreams.

The Space Between Grief and Growth

People experiencing grief need to let themselves experience all of the associated emotions to properly heal from the loss.

The Mourner’s Bill of Rights

People experiencing grief have the right to make clear their emotional and physical limitations as they mourn their lost loved one.

How Your Brain Copes With Grief, and Why it Takes Time to Heal

It’s hard to adjust to the idea that a loved one will never again call, text, or stop by.

A Routine to Help You Rise Through Grief

Even in the worst parts of grief, try to stay hydrated.

Grief Disorders and PTSD

Losing someone can lead to PTSD in some people.

What Is Delayed Grief?

Some people can’t deal with grief right after the loss. They push it down and end up experiencing it sometime later.

Dealing With Grief Triggers After a Loss

Triggers are normal, and they can sometimes have very little to do with the actual loss.

When Should Someone Be Finished Grieving?

Grief never really goes away. But in time, it becomes more bearable and manageable.

Ten Ways to Find Free or Low-Cost Grief Counseling Near You

The cost of grief counseling is a concern for many families.

What Is Complicated Grief?

Complicated grief is when people can’t move past the first part of grieving and can’t move forward with their lives.

When to Seek Help for Complicated Grief

Anyone who thinks they might be suffering from complicated grief should reach out to a medical professional for help.

Coping With Grief: Seven Things to Remember When Dealing With Loss

Remember that grief is exhausting, and it’s important for people experiencing grief to be kind to themselves. They might need to seek help with daily things like eating and taking care of young children and pets.

Find a GriefShare Group

Support groups are great places for people to connect with others going through the grieving process.

Compassionate Friends Local Chapters

Compassionate Friends offers help, including support groups, to families who have lost a child.

Support Groups

There are support groups for all different sorts of losses.

The Grief Recovery Method Guide for Loss

It is possible to recover from grief, even if the person lost is always missed.

When a Loved One Dies: How to Help Your Child

Kids need to know what’s going to happen to feel secure. When experiencing the trauma of grief, that consistency is even more important. Let kids know what each day and each week of the immediate post-loss period is going to contain so they know what to expect.

Helping Children Deal With Grief

Children respond to grief very differently from adults. It’s normal for a child to go from sobbing to playing in a matter of minutes because play is an important part of a child’s coping mechanism.

Mourning the Death of a Spouse

The death of a spouse, no matter how long a couple has been married, feels to the surviving spouse like they have lost the world they inhabited with their partner. They are grieving the person they loved and the life they lived together.

Grieving the Death of a Child

Losing a child feels like the ultimate tragedy. People know that they will most likely outlive their parents and grandparents, and it’s simply a matter of chance whether they outlive their spouses, siblings, and friends, but no one goes into parenthood expecting to outlive their child.

The Grief of Losing a Parent Is Complex: Here’s How to Start Navigating It

Most people expect to feel sad when their parent dies. However, it’s normal for a lot of unresolved issues from childhood to reemerge at the time of a parent’s death. It’s important to internally validate these feelings and not feel like they mean that the parent wasn’t loved and won’t be missed.

Coping With the Loss of a Grandparent

Often, the loss of a grandparent is the first significant loss that a person experiences.

How to Cope With the Grief of Infant Loss

Infant loss includes late-term miscarriages, stillbirths, babies lost to sudden infant death syndrome, as well as the death of an infant from other causes. No matter how the baby died, it is a devastating loss to the parents.

Grief After Suicide Loss

Losing someone to suicide is often unexpected. It can also be very complicated grief, and people experiencing this type of loss needs lots of support.

Grief and Loss

Anticipatory grief happens when someone with an ill loved one starts grieving them while they are still alive in preparation for their death.