10 Things To Never Say To A Grieving Person | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Adulting

10 Things To Never Say To Someone Who Is Grieving

Seriously, just don't say it.

15
10 Things To Never Say To Someone Who Is Grieving

After going through several family funerals, I realized that some people have no idea what to say to a grieving person and resort to the lines they are familiar with. However, oftentimes these lines are inappropriate and sometimes even offensive. Please avoid using these sentences when talking to a person who is grieving.

1. "_____ is in a better place now."

Let's say that the people in question did believe in Heaven and do believe their loved one is in Heaven. That doesn't really make the grieving person miss their loved one any less. Just please avoid this sentence!

2. "____ is an angel now."

The justification for this is pretty much the same as above.

3. "_______ wouldn't want to see you upset about their death."

Y'know, maybe my loved one wouldn't want to see me upset, but you saying that to me does not make me feel any more at peace.

4. "Maybe this is what you needed to turn your life around."

Excuse me, what?

5. "Why aren't you crying more?"

People grieve and process tragedies in totally different ways. There is no measurable amount of crying or grieving that a person has to do before he/she is fully at peace. It is certainly not up to anyone else to determine the appropriate amount of grieving for someone else.

6. "When will you stop being upset? It's been long enough!"

Same as above!

7. "Well, we're all dying."

Really? This is just the worst, most morbid thing ever. Don't say it!

8. "____ won the race." 

The race? Life is a race? You're going to turn my loved one's death into "winning the race of life?"

9. "I wonder if ____ will ever come back as a ghost and haunt us?"

There are just no words.

10. "At least ____ isn't suffering anymore." 

We know. And we're truly not trying to be selfish about the situation. Knowing that our loved one isn't suffering is somewhat comforting to know but not when it is coming from someone else.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

80
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1368
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2284
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments