Creating Healthy Goals for Comfort While Grieving

Posted on April 5, 2023

Grief can be incredibly difficult and overwhelming, especially due to the suddenness of loss in some cases. It's important to remember that there are healthy ways to find comfort during this time, even if it feels like nothing will help. The following provides some tips on how to create healthy goals while grieving and small steps you can take toward healthful healings grieving. 

Getting Enough Sleep
An important and great way to take care of yourself when grieving is to make sure that you get enough sleep. Lack of sleep affects your physical and mental health, so getting enough restorative sleep should be an immediate priority when grieving. Try going to bed at the same time each night and limit your exposure to screens before sleeping.

Spending Time with Loved Ones
Connecting with family or friends who have gone through similar experiences can be extremely beneficial during this time. Spending quality time with loved ones can help lift your mood and will remind you that you are not alone in this journey. Sharing stories about the person you lost can also bring comfort during this difficult time.

Making Smart, Healthy Changes in Your Life
When dealing with any kind of loss, it is important to focus on positive changes that will offer comfort and help keep your mind off of the pain associated with grief as much as possible. Making smart, healthy changes such as taking up a new hobby or enrolling in an online course could provide a sense of purpose while also being physically and mentally stimulating. If you've always wanted to enroll in an online degree program or get certified in a specific area, now might be the right time.

Eating Healthy
Comfort during grief can be found through nourishing the body. Fill up on healthy, balanced meals of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains to stay energized throughout your day. Also, avoiding processed foods and sugary snacks help regulate blood sugar levels which in turn increases energy and boosts moods.

Exercising
Grieving can be a difficult time, but physical activity is an easy and effective way to find comfort. Whether going for a walk in the sunshine or stretching at home with some yoga, exercising releases endorphins that will gradually boost your mood. Nature has been proven to help reduce stress levels and make us feel more relaxed.

Make Changes Quickly and Easily with a PDF Editor
Organizing our paperwork can be chaos-inducing, but by making the effort to digitize our documents and using a PDF editor to make any modifications or changes, we can drastically reduce that chaos. This will streamline workflow and allow for more efficient organization of personal paperwork. With a few simple clicks, you'll be able to quickly see all your documents in one place and make any desired changes--by clicking here, for example, you can get started right aways.

Spending Time Outdoors
Just getting out into nature has been proven beneficial for improving mental health and reducing stress levels overall. Even just spending 20 minutes outside every day can provide much-needed relief from grief. No matter what type of outdoor activity one chooses - just allowing oneself to breathe fresh air and appreciate the beautiful natural world around us helps center oneself amidst the emotional chaos grief brings.

Allow Yourself to Laugh and Cry
It's ok to laugh and to cry when grieving. Both emotions are a necessary part of coming to terms with significant losses experienced in life. Let yourself feel whatever comes up naturally without judgment and guilt no matter what type of emotion the present moment may bring. Recognizing these feelings as a normal part of human experience helps us cope better when times of sadness, anger and confusion come our way.

Grieving can be a difficult and overwhelming process, but it is important to remember that there are many healthy ways to cope with the emotions associated with grief. From getting enough sleep to spending time outdoors or connecting with family; additionally, digitizing personal documents and using PDF editors can free up valuable mental energy while also providing much-needed organization in times when life may feel chaotic. All feelings should be embraced without judgment or guilt so we can move through our grieving processes more effectively.

More information
For additional information on the topic of grief, please see our End With Care blogs; Navigating the Loss of a Loved One, Grief and Creativity and visit our end-of-life topic pages on bereavement and grieving.

By Hal Salazar - Hal created Elders.Today to lend a helping hand to seniors via carefully curated resources. Hal is newly retired, and as he embarked on planning and preparing for his golden years, he realized there was a lot of information to keep up with so he started gathering it all on his website to help out his fellow seniors.