Supporting a Grieving Friend Far Away
One of the most challenging times for friendships are when one of you is hurting or grieving and the other is not able to be present in person for each other. You may feel helpless or like you do not know how to best support your friend when there are miles between you but here are three ideas for how to support a grieving friend.
Listening Ear
Each person is different in how they grieve but communicate you are present emotionally and you want to be available to them in whatever ways they prefer. While it may seem strange to sit in silence with someone, consider doing a video chat or call so you can see each other and simply hold space for them. Or maybe they prefer regular texts or calls from you just to vent, cry, ask questions or manage all the feelings and thoughts going through their mind right now.
Send Tangible Reminders of Your Love
While no material item or gift will remove the pain of grief and loss, the tangible reminders of your care and love will keep them from feeling alone. Think about what types of things are most comforting to your friend and send a care package filled with items they will enjoy. There are many different gourmet gift baskets Montclair NJ full of comforting reminders of your love too. Another helpful tangible reminder is through hiring a cleaning or meal service for your friend that eases some of their obligations otherwise.
Coordinating Assistance
Thanks to technology you can still help coordinate plans and arrangements for a friend who lives far away. Ask if you can help him or her contact loved ones who need to know details about funeral services or celebrations. Being a point person who can answer questions and problem-solve while providing your friend with much needed support is always helpful.
When a friend who lives many miles away grieves a loss, it can be hard to know how to best help them. But by being a constant supportive listening ear, sending tangible reminders of your love and care and helping coordinate arrangements from afar you will be able to be an amazing friend to them in challenging circumstances.
