COVID Grief: Memorializing & Grief Rituals
Memorializing & Grief Rituals as a Protective Factor:
Mourning with funerals, wakes, or other grief rituals is a common and healthy way to process the death of a significant person in your life. Research has found that one way to prevent grief from evolving into prolonged grief or complex bereavement disorder, is to participate in a passage ritual. Funerals and mourning rituals are a way to honor the person who died and acknowledge a transition. Psychologically, these ceremonies often provide a space for collective grieving while signaling the start of the grieving process. Mourning rituals can also provide a sense of control through the grieving process.
COVID’s Impact:
During the first year of the COVID pandemic, several countries prohibited memorializing rituals. Funerals, burials, or visiting a cemetery were put on hold for many families throughout the world. These disruptions and delays have placed several people at risk for experiencing heightened and prolonged grief.
What to Do – suggestions for the bereaved:
- Acknowledge that grief is hard: We live in a death denying culture that often minimizes the impact of grief and rushes the bereaved with unrealistic expectations of how and for how long a person should grieve. Losing a person can be exceptionally difficult, especially during a pandemic. Navigating these uncharted waters while grieving and taking care of everyday needs, is no easy task. Remember to rest, hydrate, take things one hour at a time. Eluna recommends one of these grounding and relaxing exercises developed by The Cove Center for Grieving Children.
- Build a Plan: The COVID pandemic has shed new light on the importance of grief rituals and connecting with others over death and loss. Lantern has created a complete guide to navigating End of Life planning during COVID-19.
- Connect with Others: Accepting and asking for help can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Mourning rituals are an opportunity to seek support with the overall planning process and desired tasks. Eluna also recommends connecting through these groups and events:
- Forefront has been developing a series of webinars for children, parents, and educators, focusing on mental wellness and suicide prevention during COVID -19
- Meet others impacted by COVID, share stories, and advocate for a COVID Memorial Day with the Marked by COVID community.
- For children and teens, consider Camp Erin – the largest free bereavement program for children and teens in the U.S. and Canada. Click here to find your camp.
This is one protective factor of a series. For the comprehensive resource click here: COVID Grief: Protective Factors & the Impact of the Pandemic
This resource is made possible through a partnership with the Brave of Heart Fund, founded by the foundations of New York Life and Cigna, and administered by E4E Relief.
