Seeing someone you love going through a difficult mourning period can be tough. You may not be certain of what to do to make them feel better or to offer them support. If this is something that you are worried about, there are some things that you need to remember. Here are some things that funeral homes in Old Bridge, NJ recommend you avoid saying or doing when offering support for a loved one.

Interjecting your own experiences into the conversation is not something that you want to do. This is not helpful and it can, in fact, make the person feel as if their grief is not all that important. That is never something that you want. Unless the person asks directly for your own experiences with grief, focus solely on them and what they are going through.

Another thing you want to avoid when helping a grieving friend is urging them to go out if they do not feel like it yet. It can be tempting to try to get your loved one outside so that they can find something to distract them but this is not something that you want to do. You need to offer the person the time they need to process what they are feeling and not to have to put on a show for you.

Do not act surprised if they have mood swings. This is very common with people who are grieving a loss. You do not want to shame them or make them feel like what they are experiencing is not normal. You need to let them process the loss and go through the different emotions that they may have. This can be extremely important.

Another thing you want to avoid is offering vague offers of help. People tend to pass on these because they do not want to bother their loved ones. To make it easier for the person to accept help, you should offer concrete assistance. Offer to run to the store if you know they need groceries, or to make phone calls to start arranging the funerary services they person wants for their loved one. This can make a huge difference.

When helping a loved one who is going through a difficult time after the loss of a loved one, these are all important things to remember. You do not want to force the person to pretend to feel better and you do not want to force them to go out if they do not feel ready for it yet. You also only want to speak of your experiences with death and loss if the person asks about this specifically, otherwise they may feel overshadowed. If you want to know more about ways to help a loved one, you can reach out to an Old Bridge, NJ funeral home like us at Brunswick Memorial Home. We are here to answer any questions you may have about this process. Give us a call today.