{"id":1433,"date":"2026-03-24T16:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forevermissed.com\/blog\/?p=1433"},"modified":"2026-03-24T16:10:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:10:22","slug":"how-to-support-a-friend-in-mourning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forevermissed.com\/blog\/how-to-support-a-friend-in-mourning\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Support a Friend in Mourning\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(How To Be and What Not To Do)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

5 Heart-Centered Tips On Flowing With Grief and Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I recently met with a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a more regular yearly cadence for our meet-ups in past years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And before giving each other our hello hugs, she utters an intense major life transition with just one sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom passed away.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was in shock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I met her mom before, and I couldn\u2019t help but want to console my friend and finally give her that big, long hug after not seeing her for so long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We both felt overcome with a range of emotions, and I had a moment when all I could do was just hold her; my eyes welled up with tears as I listened to her share her experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This personal encounter highlights key takeaways I\u2019ve learned and want to share with you on supporting a loved one in mourning; and these key learnings also stem from my background experience as a hospital psychotherapist and certified grief educator in working with previous clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I genuinely hope these tips can serve as an anchor and guidepost for you, as you navigate grief within yourself and with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 1 – Don\u2019t Try To Fix It Or Make It Go Away.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In periods of mourning, there can be times when we feel the need to say or do something so that the pain goes away, especially when we see our friend in emotional pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to get rid of their pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we want to help them feel better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, when we allow them to have their own natural process, we respect and honor their grieving needs, however this looks like for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT YOU CAN DO:<\/strong> Stay emotionally present. Unless asked by your friend for your input, there is no expectation to say anything, especially if you feel that you don’t know what to say. You can instead offer a hug, rub their back up and down for emotional comfort when they are in distress, and stay focused with engaged eye contact and sincerity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT YOU CAN SAY:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m here to sit, listen, and be with you. If you need another way of support, let me know.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 2 – Actively Listen and Observe.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This ties in with the first one, and sometimes, when our friend is in mourning, we get reminded of our own grief and loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can look a few different ways, but it\u2019s essential to know that there is a certain extent to which your own process can help in supporting your friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a good reminder to bring the focus back on your friend and what they are experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actively notice what they say, how they say it, what their emotions are, what they are doing, and what you intuitively feel they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there’s any way for you to offer support, and it\u2019s within your comfort and means to do so, then consider doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOW YOU CAN BE AND WHAT TO SAY:<\/strong> If your friend is remembering their loved one, you can offer a meaningful experience you had with their loved one. This can be a way to share the moment together of honoring their loved one and the grieving process.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 3 – Don\u2019t Assume Grief Looks Only One Way.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grief looks so many different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, your friend might not be emotionally expressive, but it doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not feeling anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the contrary, your friend might be expressing more of their feelings and is unable to remember logistical things, such as time and meet-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your friend might be more practical and engages in their hobby of knitting and crafting to help process their grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or your friend might need more emotional support and also needs someone to take care of the practical and logistical expectations that come with planning the funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that one person\u2019s grief is unique to them alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINDSET SHIFT:<\/strong> Not everything is as it seems. Remain open and hold compassion and non-judgment towards your friend\u2019s experience. It might not look like how you go through grief, but it is what <\/em>they<\/em><\/strong> need to go through in their mourning and grieving process.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 4 – It’s Not A Matter of Time.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, we are quick to judge someone\u2019s mourning and grieving depending on what the loss is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a subtle relational expectation that someone will return to “normalcy” after a ritual, such as a funeral, or after six months have elapsed, and they should be back on life\u2019s track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But grief knows no time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is ever present.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the relationship with our grief that matters most.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grief and loss are not linear; it is circuitous and even like a maze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many different ways that it can come and revisit us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MINDFUL MOTTO FOR MOURNING:<\/strong> We all experience and relate to grief in our own timing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 5 – Loving Patience As High-Vibrational Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Love and patience are the ultimate helpful energies to embody for yourself, and when you are supporting your friend experiencing a loss. It encapsulates everything we spoke about above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also highlights the need for us to be more receptive and willing to sit, both literally and figuratively, with our friends in whatever state they are in, and even more so, with grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we can honor and hold reverence for our grief, we hold space for appreciation, gratitude, and meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLOVING PATIENCE FOR GRIEF\u201d\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mindfulness Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n