10 Techniques For Grief And How Grief Counseling Can Help
If you have experienced loss and are searching for a healthy way to heal please take time to go over the 10 grief techniques shared below. The grief techniques help by giving you small healthy steps aimed to create healing and positive growth.
Counselors at Santos Counseling PLLC support individuals who have experienced loss and are seeking counseling for grief and bereavement. Click here to learn more about grief and bereavement therapy.
Are you ready to start grief counseling?
To start grief counseling call our counseling office at 336-663-6570 or email [email protected]. The office coordinator will speak with you, learn what is taking place, and provide you with a counselor that fits your needs.
10 Techniques To Practice When Experiencing Grief
1. Write a letter to your future self.
This exercise is focused on taking time to explore how you want to feel when you go through the grief and growth process. The writing activity helps to promote positive feelings and gives you a clear idea of how you want to picture your life.
2. Deep breathing for emotional and thought regulation.
The breathing exercise is used to manage thoughts and feelings. This exercise can start by engaging in inhaling for 4 seconds, exhaling for 4 seconds, and following the sequence for a period of 2 minutes. When exhaling, try to pretend that you have straw in your mouth. If you are experiencing grief and notice that at times your breathing becomes unregulated. Try and see how this exercise helps. Working with a grief counselor is a great way to learn more about breathing and healing after the loss of a loved one.
3. Structuring time to feel.
During this activity, you can engage in giving yourself time to feel with the focus on structure. For instance, you can give yourself a one-hour block to engage in deep breathing or to practice journal writing focused on the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing. This is a wonderful exercise for grief.
4. Grounding affirmation exercise.
Daily affirmations to practice and guide your day. Remember affirmations are statements that you present to yourself to support building positive thoughts and promote a healthy mood: If possible, put a reminder on your phone that goes off every 4 hours during your day. Take 2 minutes. During the two minutes engage in deep breathing while practicing the affirmations.
5. Positive self-talk to improve mood.
Below are common phrases to use for positive self-talk.
- “Today is a good day for a good day.”
- “I trust that I have the potential to achieve my goals.”
- “I love who I am.”
- “I appreciate myself and those around me.”
6. Melt ice in your hands to feel better.
This is called the ICE exercise.
When you are having negative or anxious thoughts, try to find an ice cube if possible. Place the ice in your hands and allow it to melt. As it melts you notice that your hands become wet and cold. Imagine that the ice is your negative thought(s).
The goal of this activity is that the process of the ice melting connects to your negative thought coming and going. That the thought can be diminished and does not have to grow. Use the time it melts to give yourself to think and process versus experiencing a difficult emotion and engaging in a reaction.
7. Connect to your values.
Identify 2 values that you find appropriate for your life. If you get stuck think about your past or do a google search to identify what values are.
The values connect to the foundation of your life. Your values should outline what you desire in life. As an example, a person can have the value of creativity. This means that each day the person wakes up, they are engaging in actions that connect to creativity. People tend to feel stuck or lost when they become disconnected from their values.
8. Use objects to find calmness.
This can be anything from a leaf on the floor or a pencil next to you. Pick up the item and think about how it feels. Run your hands gently across the top and sides. Think about how it feels as you touch it. If you can squeeze it, then squeeze it. Do your best to play with it so that you are creating an experience.
This exercise is wonderful when you are trying to heal from loss. The exercise gives you the opportunity to be mindful of the object you are connecting with versus emotionally going in an unhealthy direction. CLICK HERE for more ways to heal during grief.
9. Use journal writing for grief recovery.
A therapy journal is a great tool that helps to improve wellness, reduce stress, and address emotional challenges. The journal is for anyone who’s had difficulty starting or finishing a journal, this guide is filled with quirky prompts helping readers navigate emotional challenges through the practice of growth, motivation, and self-exploration.
Common journal prompts for grief:
- I am really missing…
- I could use more…
- I find it helpful when…
- Positive thoughts for my loved one include…
- To give myself love, I can…
- I am struggling with…
CLICK HERE to purchase the supportive journal.
10. Positive meditation.
The mediation below gives you lots of different options aimed to help with soothing, grief support, reducing stress, and improving your mood. Click Here to check out the podcast. I’ll also share a supportive podcast on mental health awareness.
