How do you console a grieving person?
By Toni
@toniganzon (77467)
Philippines
June 9, 2026 7:23am CST
There's no words to make someone feel better when they lost a loved one.
A friend of mine lost her sister from brain cancer recently. She had to come home from the US when her sister was diagnosed and spent the time here with her leaving her husband and children in the US.
Last night, Craig told me that one of his favorite basketball player, a 19 year old incoming freshman student in a university died during a so called "team building" activity arranged by the coach of the university.
I cannot imagine the pain the parents are going through at the moment.
6 people like this
5 responses
@toniganzon (77467)
• Philippines
9 Jun
Yeah, I think that being near them is enough even uttering a word.
1 person likes this
@Shivram59 (50689)
• India
12 Jun
Consoling someone who has lost his any of his mrar and dear ones is very difficult. Almost impossible. Only time can heal their wounds.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (77467)
• Philippines
12 Jun
Yeah I know from a personal experience.
1 person likes this
@Shivram59 (50689)
• India
12 Jun
@toniganzon I remember the early morning when my younger sister suddenly passed away She was only 19 then. We were talking a couple of minutes before. She was smiling Suddenly she fell on her bed, and the next minute she was gone. It happened on the 10 th of January, 2020. It was a shock we have yet to recover from.Doctors say it was a sudden heart attack..
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@Shivram59 (50689)
• India
12 Jun
@toniganzon Oh my God!!They were murdered!!
It's really very very sad. I can understand the unbearable pain you have been living with
Have courage, my friend. That's all I can say.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (175107)
• United States
9 Jun
It depends on how well I know the person/people who lost a loved one. People I know well, I hug them and ask if there is anything they need. Of course they always say they're okay... So I look around and find things they need done around their home. Dishes washed, laundry done, help kids with food or sit and hold kids who have lost a brother or sister. Just sitting and listening to the stories the mother or father feel like telling about the loved one also helps.
If I don't know the parents or the people who lost someone, I tell them I'm sorry for their loss and leave them alone.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (175107)
• United States
10 Jun
@toniganzon I understand but people want to help any way they can. I felt the same way when dad passed away when I was 13.
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@toniganzon (77467)
• Philippines
10 Jun
@DaddyEvil Sure and I know that but it's something that I wouldn't say to someone who have lost a loved one maybe because I know that I couldn't really give or do anything that they want at that very moment. So I guess my presence is enough. I try to make the mood lighter with my presence, make them smile if I could.
I really appreciated those who made us laugh during my parents' wake. Rather than those who came and just cried and felt sorry for us.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (175107)
• United States
10 Jun
@toniganzon I didn't really think about it... I'm always making people smile, even when I don't feel like smiling. I think that's a way for me not to think about what's happened.
1 person likes this
@noni1959 (13079)
• United States
10 Jun
When someone is grieving, there are no words to make them feel better, nor should we be trying. I just say, "I'm here." I never ask what I can do or say to let me know if there is something I can do. I just do it. It's not easy when they are far away or not know them very well. I'll say "I'm thinking of you and your family during this sad time."
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@toniganzon (77467)
• Philippines
11 Jun
I never asked them what they want because when I lost my parents and people asked me that, i only responded thank you politely but in my mind I told myself what I wanted was my parents back and they could't do it.
@LindaOHio (223561)
• United States
14 Jun
Losing a loved one is extremely hard. When I lost my husband in January of 2025 I experienced it firsthand. The pain does get better with time.
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