Addressing the Holistic Impact of Grief

Grief has a holistic impact on our wellbeing —it touches our emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and physical health. Grief is not a linear journey or a set of stages to complete. It’s an adaptive process that the mind and body move through while learning to live with loss. Understanding what’s happening inside you—and having tangible strategies to support yourself along the journey—can make this experience feel less overwhelming.

Perhaps the main compass point for navigating grief is regularly giving yourself permission to feel. There are many emotions that make up the constellation of grief: sadness, anger, numbness, relief, guilt (e.g. moments of joy that can feel “wrong”). These are all valid. Instead of judging your emotions, try “naming” them as they arise within your system (“I’m noticing sadness” or “A part of me feels angry”). This is a neuroscience-backed strategy where labeling what you feel helps to soften emotional intensity and increase clarity (see Internal Family Systems related resources). Naming creates space between you and the emotion (i.e. a part of you vs. all of you) so you can respond with compassion and curiousity, rather than react immediately.

Grief also shows up physically. Fatigue, brain fog, disrupted sleep, and changes in appetite are common because your nervous system is experiencing distress. Mindfulness skills that help regulate the body also support the mind. Try grounding exercises, like 4-7-8 breathing, or the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory technique, to soften the stress response. Even ten minutes of movement—stretching, a short walk, or gentle yoga—can reduce tension and improve emotional bandwidth.

Routines play a stabilizing role in mental health. Creating grief-safe structure means choosing small habits that bring predictability: a morning routine, drinking water at consistent times, scheduling check-ins with trusted people, or journaling for five minutes a day. For journaling, try prompts like “What feels heavy today?” or “One thing I handled well today was…” These cues help you process feelings without becoming overwhelmed.

Another essential approach is reaching for co-regulation—the process of calming your nervous system through connection with trusted others. Isolation can intensify grief, while supportive relationships reduce emotional load. It can be sitting with someone, calling a friend, joining a support group pertinent to your loss, or attending therapy. If asking for help feels hard, try a simple script: “I’m having a tough day. Could we talk or just sit for a little while?”

As time passes, consider meaning-making practices (see Francis Weller’s book, “The Wild Edge of Sorrow”). This might include intentional rituals, creating a memory space, writing letters to the person you lost, or exploring how their influence continues to shape who you are. These practices support integration—the process of carrying the loss with you in a way that doesn’t consume your daily functioning.

Most importantly, grief is non-linear. Good days and hard days can coexist alongside of other. Healing often looks like smaller emotional spikes, better sleep, clearer thinking, or moments of internal and external connection. Be patient with yourself. With strategies, support, and time, grief becomes something you carry more readily as you move throughout your life.

Notes 

Francis Weller The Wild Edge of Sorrow

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash