Dealing with Loss and Grief and Its Effect on Your Relationship

Dealing with loss and grief isn’t something that we wish on anybody. It manifests itself in a variety of ways and the effect that loss and grief will have on your relationships are uncertain at first. People deal with the loss of loved ones differently, and in practice, there is no right or wrong way to mourn. However, the way in which we deal with these unpleasant times does affect those around us.

Here are some tips for dealing with loss and grief while maintaining a healthy, balanced relationship with your partner:

• Acknowledge the Grief

The last thing you want to do is sweep your feelings under the rug. What happened, happened and in order to work through the steps you’ll have to face the grief head-on. Give yourself and your partner time to face this reality.

• Make Time to Grieve

Another tip is to schedule or make time to deal with your loss. This might seem too methodological, but it’s a good way to prioritize feelings that you need to work through. Take this time to share memories of the person you’ve lost and try to let go of the need to suppress your feelings.

• Listen to the one Grieving

Instead of offering advice, try to just listen to your partner. If you are both grieving the loss of a parent, friend, family member or child, both of you need to be validated. Give each other the chance to talk about it without interrupting, giving advice or switching the conversation back to yourself.