Losing a loved one is devastating, even long after they’re gone. After all, grief is among the most complex emotional experiences we will ever encounter. Sometimes it can be challenging to understand what you’re feeling. Even more challenging is finding the courage to speak up about your grief and how it’s impacting your life.
But when you finally muster up the courage to articulate your emotions in a safe space, it can significantly impact your ability to heal. But don’t take our word for it. Explore some of the reasons it’s important to discuss your grief and uncover how voicing your emotional state and needs can help you grieve healthily.
It Helps You Find Support
Being open and articulating your emotions can help you find support when you need it. After all, no one will know or understand the depth of your grief if you refuse to talk about it. Perhaps you’re mourning your late mom and have become overwrought with depression. Your family members ask you what they can do to help.
And instead of responding woefully, your retorts come off as angry or aggressive. As a result, your relatives think that you’re upset with them. They assume you want to be left alone rather than seeing that you’re in a state of depression and probably shouldn’t be alone. But if you take a moment to explain that you’re inconsolably sad rather than angry, your family can do a better job at giving you what you need to heal.
Plus, they might be able to point you in the direction of grief counselors, support groups, or mutual friends that have a more nuanced understanding of what you’re going through. Discussing your grief with these types of support systems is a valuable asset to your healing.
It Helps You Understand Your Grief
But speaking up about your emotional needs to find support isn’t the only reason it’s important to discuss your grief. It’s also beneficial for understanding the complicated emotions you might be feeling within. Typically, the grieving process has a loose, five-stage structure.
But truthfully, it looks different for everyone, and knowing what to expect is difficult. However, when you take the time to talk about what you’re feeling, it’s much easier to put each emotion in its proper place.
Further, finding the right tools and resources to help you is more straightforward if you know where you’re at emotionally. Thus, talking about what’s bothering you is an integral aspect of understanding your emotions as you move through the grieving process to manage them healthily.
It Makes You Feel Less Alone
Of course, this brief overview wouldn’t be complete without mentioning how talking about your grief can help you feel less alone. Indeed, grieving takes on various shapes depending on the individual navigating it. But grief has a few commonalities that transcend personal experience.
The first is that significant loss can make you feel incredibly isolated. The second is that leaning into your support systems and talking about it with people you love can make the whole process feel less lonely. That’s why it’s so crucial to reach out and discuss what you’re going through emotionally—especially when you’re reaching out to close friends and family.
Remember that amid your grief, you may feel that talking won’t help or change anything. But it’s one of the best things you can do for your emotional and mental health, yourself, and those you’ve lost.
