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Coping with bereavement
WAY Widowed & Young

Grief is a word for the range of feelings you may have following the death of someone close to
you. Grief can begin before the person dies. You may already have felt a sense of loss. You may
have missed the way your relationship used to be and all the things you used to do together. The
thoughts and feelings you have will vary. At times they may be very intense and stop you doing
things. At other times they may be in the background and you'll find you can still do your day-to-
day activities. How you feel and react will depend on a number of different things, including:

 The relationship you had with the person who died
 Whether their death was expected
 How they died
 Any previous experience of death you have had.

Finding a way through grief Symptoms of grief
You may experience a range of emotions after your relative or friend has died. These feelings may
occur soon after the person has died, some weeks or months afterwards, or both. Some may last
We are here to support people
who have been widowed young a short time, while others go on for longer. You may find they come and go. There is no 'normal'
for how you will feel. You will need to take things day by day. Some of the more common feelings
info@widowedyoung.co.uk and experiences people often describe are: shock and numbness, anger, guilt, loneliness, fear,
sadness, longing, crying, relief. All these are natural reactions to the loss of someone.

Registered charity: 1164988

Things you can try which may help
There are things you can do that might help
as you adjust to the death of your relative
or friend. Different people will find different
types of support helpful. Some things you
can try are:

 Talking to the person who has died
 Talking to family and friends
 Support groups
 Religious and faith groups
 Writing down your feelings.

Moving on
Most people find that, as time goes on, they will begin to adjust and have more good days than
bad. Their feelings will be less intense and they can begin to look to the future. Things might
continue to be difficult from time to time, but it tends to happen less often. The time to return
to work will vary for each person. Talk to your employer about how you are coping. You may find
it easier to work from home or work part time for a while. Anniversaries, birthdays and festive
occasions can be very difficult, particularly during the first year. With time, these feelings will
often get less intense. You may find it helpful to do something special to mark an anniversary or
birthday. Or make time at a celebration to remember your relative or friend. Social events can
also be hard. You may find it helpful to start off by going to them for a shorter period of time, or
ask if you can take a relative or close friend along with you.

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