Mental Health & Grief
The relationship between mental health and grief is deeply intertwined. Grief can profoundly impact your emotional and psychological well-being.
Grief triggers a range of intense emotions such as sadness, anger, confusion, and sometimes even guilt. While grief is a natural process, it can sometimes lead to or enhance mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.
It is important when grieving to help your mental health and find ways to navigate the emotions. We asked our Table 11 team and our Hosts what their top tips are when it comes to helping your mental health when grieving. We wanted to share these tips with you, to hopefully help you feel less alone in how you may be feeling:
“Give yourself time to just breath & exist, especially when it’s all rush rush rush, go go go. Have a bath, take a walk, stare at the leaves as they sway in the wind.”
Kendra – Table 11 Co-Founder & Executive Director
“Try not to fight it. Try to allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling. The only way to the other side is through.”
Rachel, Table 11 Co-Founder & Host Experience Director
“You need to be kind to yourself, and not feel guilty for letting things slide.”
Charlotte, Table 11 Operations Manager
“Your friends and family are likely going through the same feelings and thoughts of loneliness and loss. So you don’t feel like it’s something you have to go through on your own. You’ve likely got a bigger support network to reach out to than you think!”
Duncan, Table 11 Communications Director
“Food that goes into the oven with zero prep. It won’t last forever. Do what you need to do to get through the day. Pretty much anything goes.”
Aoife, Table 11 Host
“Put yourself first and feel comfortable doing what you need to do to get through it. So if that means rescheduling a friend, letting admin go for a few days, going for that walk etc, making sure you do it and not feeling guilty.”
Jane, Table 11 Host
“Take yourself out of a space if you don’t feel comfortable, if you’re able to.
Especially if you feel overwhelmed by the busyness and everyone just getting on with life. Hating everyone around you for it just being a ‘normal day’ is natural.”
Anna, Table 11 Co-Founder & Table Host
“Using different coping mechanisms, depending on the stage of grief. After the first, most feral stage, running and meditation helped the most. Just putting one step at the time and not thinking about the destination or km to cover, was a good metaphor for life at the time, one step at the time, one day at the time. Also lots of sleep, I found grief to be mentally and physically exhausting!”
Joanna, Table 11 Partnership Director
“Sleep, definitely. Grief is physically and emotionally exhausting. Also doing something practical, but something that didn't need any brain space, so allows you to process your feelings and get through the rawness of those first months.”
Fiona, Table 11 Host
“Talk, laugh and cry when you want to. Don’t worry about the opinions or timelines of others – take your time and put yourself first, especially when those waves hit.”
Claire, Table 11 Co-Founder & Content Director
As always, we are here for you and have a community of like-minded folk ready to listen and support.