Grief during hard times - Part 3
Things You Can Do When You're Grieving or Overwhelmed
Use Your Breath to Calm Your Nervous System
Grief overwhelms the nervous system. Learn a simple breathing technique backed by neuroscience to reduce anxiety and steady your body.
Grief doesn’t just break your heart.
It stresses your nervous system.
Many families say:
“My chest feels tight.”
“I can’t settle down.”
“I feel anxious for no reason.”
There is a reason.
When someone dies, your body shifts into stress mode. Even if the death was expected.
Your nervous system doesn’t measure logic. It responds to loss.
And there’s one tool you always have with you.
Your breath.
A Simple, Science-Backed Technique
Dr. Andrew Huberman describes something called the “physiological sigh.”
He explains that certain breathing patterns directly calm the nervous system.
Here’s how:
- Inhale through your nose
- Take a second short inhale through your nose
- Slowly exhale through your mouth
That long exhale tells your body:
You are safe.
You can slow down.
Two or three rounds can begin lowering stress quickly.
During the Acute Loss Period
In the first 10–12 days after a death — the Acute Loss Period — families are making important decisions and managing emotions.
Use this breathing tool:
- Before having a conversation
- Before greeting visitors
- Before trying to sleep
- When emotion rises suddenly
It doesn’t remove grief. It steadies your body so you can carry it.
Our Grief Compass program exists because support shouldn’t end after the service. Healing takes time, and we continue walking with families.
And one final thought.
One of the greatest gifts of funeral pre-planning is reducing this intense decision-making load for your family someday. Fewer urgent choices mean less nervous system strain.
Grief will always hurt.
But it doesn’t have to overwhelm your body.
Take one slow breath.
Then another.
That’s enough for now.
