After an Adult's Death

Caring for yourself as you walk through grief can be difficult. It can affect your physical, social, spiritual and mental health. The resources on this page may help.

Physical health

Some people feel physical changes as they grieve. These are normal responses that should get better with time. Some have changes in appetite that can cause weight gain or loss. Others find sleeping or concentrating more difficult. And others may feel the need to stay busy.

Social health

Talking through your thoughts and feelings can be very helpful. Sometimes the best person to talk with is a family member or close friend. Other times it may be a person who has experienced similar loss.

• Grief Share has seminars and support groups led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help.
• Gilda’s Club of Middle Tennessee has programs that include support groups, healthy lifestyle workshops, mind-body classes, social activities, educational lectures and community resource information dedicated to providing support to all people affected by cancer.

Learning to find meaning in loss is one of the most important parts of walking with grief. It’s important that you find the way to integrate that meaning with all the ways you connect to others, nature, and the significant or sacred.

• Isha Center - a noted yoga and meditation center located in scenic McMinnville, Tennessee
• Abbey of Gethsemani - a well-known Christian retreat center in Trappist, Kentucky
• Pastoral Center for Healing - a counseling center in Nashville that seeks to create sacred space for healing within broken hearts

While it is normal to grieve a loss, it isn’t normal for the pain of grief to linger without getting better. If it has been more than three months since your loss, and you still find it difficult to eat, sleep, work or do any of your regular daily activities, you may have prolonged grief. In this case, it may be time to seek professional help.

• The Evelyn Frye Center in downtown Nashville offers special programs and counseling for grief.
• Centerstone offers a full range of mental health counseling.
• Psychology Today can help you find a therapist in your area.
• Alive Hospice offers a range of grief support programs for anyone who has lost a loved one.

Children express their grief differently from adults. They may laugh and play, even at times that seems strange to adults, such as at a funeral. Here are some ways adults can help children cope with loss:

• Encourage them to express their feelings.
• Tell them that they are loved and supported.
• Answer questions simply and honestly.