Grief: Tip #4

In this month’s newsletter, I am speaking about “The Urge to Fix It”!

TRUTH: YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIX IT: Nothing is broken. Grief is a natural and normal response to loss and change. Your job isn’t to make it better, but to care for and support through it.

Understanding Grief in the Workplace

Workplaces are generally a very solution-oriented culture for the right reasons.  But when it comes to dealing with tough topics like grief, we might have to learn a slightly different approach. This month, I want to share a tip that made a whole lot of difference for me as I had felt lot of support from my team members and particularly my manager at the time.

When my mom was in hospice for a couple of months, it was an exceedingly difficult period of my life. Juggling through work, home and everything that comes in between, I had chosen to support my mom’s transition journey. It was a humble and a very personable choice and when I shared this with my colleagues, most of them were supportive in their own ways. Particularly a handful of people that became my go to people when those emotions had to be talked through.

Thinking back on that time, I realized how important it is to be able to give someone the gift of your time. When we take the time to ask someone how they are doing, do we take the time to listen in or do we get anxious and want to drop the conversation?

I personally chose to write about the topic of grief and educate people because I have greatly learned and seen how unprocessed grief stays in our bodies and can be detrimental to our well-being in all aspects of life. The more we can connect and talk about critical topics like this, the better we are doing for our society.

For this month, I want to encourage you to practice the skill of Caring and Compassion. Especially, caring through grief can mean you are not trying to fix anything, but you learn to provide a safe space. Did you know sometimes a healing can occur naturally with your presence? This is one simple step that can help you have bring empathy at the workplace and it will go a long way in building genuine, meaningful relationships.

A Monthly Tip for Navigating Grief: Nothing is broken in you or anyone who grieves.

Empower yourself with the skillset of care and compassion.

Work can be tough, especially when dealing with personal challenges like grief. But as coworkers, we can make a significant difference by offering support in simple ways.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Be There: Simply be fully present as it can be more supportive than words.

2. Listening: Let them talk about their feelings.

3. Acknowledge: Validate their feelings and associated pain.

4. Be Patient: Grief has no timelines so hold space each time.

5. Check-in regularly: You show that you care deeply.

Supporting someone in grief can be emotionally draining. Remember to take care of yourself too!

With these tips, we can create a workplace where everyone feels supported, even during tough times. Thank you for joining me on this journey of exploration and growth. Let’s navigate grief with compassion, leaning into active listening in both personal and professional spheres.

With love and light for all!