There are times that grief comes into one’s life, and no matter how hard families and friends try to support you, sorrow and loneliness always gets its way.  These feelings do not only affect a person’s relationships, attitude, and view on life, but also affects one’s physical health.   Whether the grief comes from losing a parent, child, grandparent, spouse, or friend, there’s no other experience in life that’s as painful and isolating as bereavement.  

Nevertheless, people experiencing grief can actually have either a bad or good mourning, depending on certain choices that they make.  One can improve themselves and their painful situations by choosing to have a “good mourning”.  Here are some ways to overcome grief, and help heal its wounds:

Reach out

When loneliness gets overwhelming, the best way to counter it is to reach out to friends.  Instead of waiting and sitting around for friends or family to call you, initiate an encounter.  Reach out to your supportive and caring friends to greatly ease the load of grief, and brighten your darkest times.

Get physical

Bike, jog, roller blade, swim, or walk; do physical activities for thirty to forty minutes every day.  This keeps you in top physical form while easing anxiety and depression.

Eat healthy

Even if it can be hard to eat, try your best to have sufficient nutritional balance.  Eat lots of vegetables and fruits, and cut back on foods that are high in fat.

Develop a gratitude for solitude

Look for ways to spending time alone that gives you some peace of mind and satisfaction.  Some of the pleasant things that you can do alone include painting, gardening, listening to music, reading, or strolling.  

Find your will power

While grief can be overwhelming, you are greater than grief.  Look into your will power, and generate strength from that.  Repeat these words to yourself “ I will get through this”, “I will overcome”.  Always try to remember that the experience will allow you to become a better and stronger person.  


Recognize that grief is a “journey”

You have to understand that grief is a journey that moves from one life condition to another.  The journey will take time and will always involve three things –pain of loss, adjusting to the “alone” environment, and withdrawing the emotional energy, then reinvesting it in a different relationship.  

Let tears flow

Never equate emotional display with weakness –cry about the loss.  Expressing one’s emotions is good, because it is a natural “relief method” that helps a person vent the hurting feelings.  Repressing grief too much will only result to emotional maladjustments.  

Be patient

When you start to hate yourself because the pain just won’t go away –be patient.  There’s never a quick way to fix the wounds of bereavement.  Recovering from grief can take much longer to what people expect it to be.  Every day, do little things that you need to do to manage and cope.  

Join a “support group”

It’s sometimes very therapeutic when a grieving person joins others having the same experience.  One learns from them, as well as receives inspiration.  Support groups functions as a “forum” to share practical resources and difficulties, and they can also give general friendship and support.

Take the challenge

As you start to adjust without the person you love, consider the challenge of helping someone else.  A very effective way of taking off grief is reaching out to help another.  Offer service and time, and do this as your way of honoring your departed loved one.  

Grief can be very overwhelming and can consume a person’s life.  However, this should not be the case, and you should do your best to mourn positively.  As Helen Keller once stated “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of suffering”.