Comforting in a COVID World
Too Busy
In the best of circumstances, staying attentive to grieving friends and family can be overlooked due to our busy schedules. Even as a grief educator, I find my life gets so full I can lose track of my grieving friends. Not that I forget them, I just forget to stay in touch with them. It happens to the best intentioned people. Add COVID restrictions on top of that and we create a recipe for isolated and neglected grieving friends.
I would like to change this. Would you? Since neither of us can eradicate the virus, here are a few ideas that might be useful.
4 Action Plans
One thing I have found that works is to take immediate action when a grieving friend comes to mind. I stop and send a quick text letting them know I am thinking about them. I take this opportunity to ask about a good time for a phone call. Once that is scheduled it makes it easy to connect over the phone.
My husband has started entering names of grieving friends into a blank book where we can keep record of their needs, significant dates, and refer to it as a prayer list. Saying we will pray for a bereaved friend and then forgetting to do that just doesn’t sit well with me. This visual reminder of their names written in his book has helped us to remember to pray for friends who are walking through their grief with less than normal connections.
Setting up a Zoom meeting or video call is another way to make sure we keep in communication with a grieving friend. Being able to see one another’s expressions and hear each other’s voices is a comfort and gives a grieving person something to look forward to.
My husband is currently setting aside one day a week to call a recently widowed friend. By making calls on a regular weekly basis, Steve can keep a pulse on how his friend is doing; if there is general movement in his grief or if he is stuck. His widowed friend looks forward to this weekly call. They visit about each other’s work during the week, family, memories of his wife, and current challenges living as a single man.
Be Intentional
Being grief supporters during COVID is like anything else these days, it is more challenging. It requires intentionality to maintain a level of emotional wellness and connection. Possibly by acknowledging the challenges we will be more mindful to reach out to the broken-hearted people in our sphere of influence with connection and support in the best ways possible. When we do, we experience a deep sense of satisfaction, knowing our grieving friend felt our love and care.
We would love to know what you have done that is working. Please feel welcome to respond. In addition, we hope you are sharing Comfort for the Day Facebook posts or any of our website blogs with your grieving friends. But there is even more. Please visit our store for our book, cards, and our new online courses. We are pleased to be a full service resource for you to support your grieving friends or family.
© Karen Nicola/Comfort for the Day 2020
Photo by Sarah Gualtieri
