How To Support Friends and Family Members Who Are Grieving

Knowing how to support a grieving friend or family member can be super intimidating. If you are unsure of where to start, we have some ideas.

Realize how much the grieving person needs support

After you have lost a loved one, you are in desperate need of support. Everyday tasks like eating, driving, and showering can feel impossible. The first step to being a good support system is realizing and acknowledging what your friend is going through. No matter if you have personally experienced grief or not, the best thing you can do to support your friend is to release any personal judgements or expectations you might hold, open your heart to your friend, and acknowledge that grief knows no timeline.

Offer Practical Help

If you are unsure of where to offer tangible help, know that offering practical help is a great way to make a huge difference. You can help by mowing their grass, picking up groceries, scheduling family appointments, picking up kids from school, or helping with the logistics of funeral preparations. All of these things can feel impossible to manage while you are grieving, and this is a great way to make a tangible and quick impact. 

Send Something

We also love the idea of sending a sympathy gift for them to remember their loved one. So many people struggle with knowing what exactly to send to a grieving loved one, but our commemorative gifts make the process simple. We have already done the research to know what gifts are perfect for grieving people, so you can shop with confidence that a sympathy gift from laurelbox will make a big impact. 

You can shop our collection of timeless keepsakes, which includes my personal favorite gift from the shop, our Custom Memorial Candle. Each of these candles is custom made with the loved one’s name, and is a very thoughtful way to show you care. 

A piece of remembrance jewelry is another great gift idea. Whether you choose to send our popular Forget Me Not Necklace, a personalized Wear My Initial Necklace, a Raw Cut Birthstone Necklace, or any other item from the jewelry collection, the gift is sure to be appreciated.

Text, email, or drop off a note 

While gifts can be so special, grieving people really just want to be acknowledged. The best thing you can do for them is to reach out to offer your love and support. No matter if you reach out via text, email, phone call, an in person visit, or an old fashioned note card, the gesture of support can be huge for a grieving person. 

Do not expect the grieving process to be over in a certain amount of time

Another huge key part of being a good support system is to keep reaching out in the weeks and months after the loss. Many grieving people share that their support system drops off around the 3 month mark, and it is common to hear grievers share that year two after a loss can actually be harder than year one. The first year can oftentimes feel like a fog, and sometimes the passage of time makes the loss feel more real and permanent. 

It is in the time after the support system fades away that you can make a big difference for your friend. So we want to encourage you to reach out -- and don’t stop! 

Reach out on milestone days

Milestone days can be incredibly hard. Write down the anniversary of your friend’s loss, their loved one’s birthday, and any other dates that might be specific to their loss. Be sure to reach out on these days, and know your acknowledgement makes a huge difference! We also have gifts designed for these milestone days.

Seasons and holidays can also be hard. For example, people who have lost parents or children share that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are some of the hardest days of the year. It can be so difficult watching others celebrate the relationship that you have lost. The winter holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year is also very painful for people who have lost a loved one. So if you have a friend who is grieving, be sure to reach out to them and acknowledge what they are going through. Because we know that these two seasons are very difficult, each year we create specific collections designed to care for grieving people. A gift from these collections are a great way to show love and support.