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Using Art to Help You Through Grief

MemorialAdmin • July 14, 2016

 

As we journey through grief after the loss of a loved one, we find coping mechanisms that help us through the day-to-day. Art, music and other outlets work as a catharsis for powerful emotions—they help us explore our feelings in a safe and positive way. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and buried by grief, here are a few creative techniques that can help you take control of your emotions.

Visual Arts

Visual arts like painting, sketching and coloring (yes, even in coloring books!) help exercise creative areas of the right side of your brain. No matter your skill level, experimenting in this way strengthens parts of your brain that often go unused. These types of creative arts help us express strong emotions that we often ignore or repress. Art is the opposite of repression—it’s expression. Your painting can be abstract, it can be a portrait, it can be a splatter painting of every color in the rainbow: the result is not the point of expressive exercise. Give your brain a break and focus on something new and aesthetic instead of dwelling on the painful grief that you hold.

Music

Whether or not you play a musical instrument doesn’t prevent you from having a cathartic experience with music. Musical arts can be moving and emotional, they help us step away from ourselves and they give us new perspectives. If you are grieving, if you are mourning, if you are suffering in any way, try using music as a temporary escape from the difficulties of your life. Just listening to the radio during your commute may not be enough—attend an opera or symphony, put headphones on and close your eyes, take time to isolate yourself and play an instrument. What we hear in music often reflects how we feel inside. Music helps us discover the truth about ourselves and our emotions, and it can be a powerful distraction from grief.

Writing

Writing is an art form that is not for everyone, but you may be surprised how your words flow once you get started. If you don’t consider yourself a writer but you’re looking for an outlet to help you through your grief, try journaling or recording your thoughts for 10 minutes every day. If you find that hard to swallow, experiment with a “word-dump”: sit down with a blank piece of paper and just spew out words that don’t make any sense. Your thoughts, the sounds around you, what you ate for breakfast, it doesn’t matter. Practicing in this way helps your mind settle on a creative task. You may even write something worthwhile, something that sheds light on your emotions and helps you move past grief.

Art helps us heal. Creation and expression are healthy and necessary if we are to move past grief and sorrow. Don’t take my word for it; do some experimenting on your own—you won’t regret it.

“Art making has the ability to move people along their journey of grief and loss into a more balanced place of healing and hope. In the face of tragedy, the creative process can help recalibrate a mourner’s life.” ~ The Chandler Gallery at Maud Morgan Arts

John Allen Gilbert “Pop Pop”

By MemorialAdmin • April 5, 2023
John Allen Gilbert, “Pop Pop”, passed away April 1, 2023 at his home in Salt Lake City. He was born July 23, 1956 in Los Angeles, California to John Allen Gilbert and Patricia Sanderson. He married Delene Ann Gilbert on April 16, 1986. John was a mechanic, handyman, and a jack-of-all-trades. He loved music, playing … Continued The post John Allen Gilbert “Pop Pop” appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Austin David Westley

By MemorialAdmin • September 27, 2022
Austin David Westley, 32 passed away peacefully at home surrounded by those he loved after a brutal fight with appendix cancer. His beautiful soul touched so many lives and we will all forever be changed having known him. The world became a brighter place when Austin was born to loving parents David and Janis Westley … Continued The post Austin David Westley appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Grief Integration

By MemorialAdmin • September 21, 2022
  Written by Memorial Mortuary & Cemeteries in-house Grief Counselor, Amanda Nelsen How can I get closure? This is a question I hear on a pretty regular basis. And I completely understand what is behind it – we want to be able to put the painful feelings of grief behind us. We want to be … Continued The post Grief Integration appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Regret

By MemorialAdmin • June 30, 2022
Written by Memorial Mortuary & Cemeteries in-house Grief Counselor, Amanda Nelsen The topic of regret has been on my mind recently. I often hear clients talk about the regrets they had after a loved one died – some become quite reflective on things they could have done differently or “better” while their loved one was … Continued The post Regret appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Patrick Arthur Murphy

By MemorialAdmin • May 30, 2022
Our most beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend unexpectedly returned to his loving God on May 20, 2022.   Patrick Arthur Murphy was born on July 4, 1942 in Coronado, California. Pat was a twin to his brother, Pete, rounding out the four sons of John Tennyson Murphy and Mable Burnett Murphy. Pat spent … Continued The post Patrick Arthur Murphy appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Navigating Grief During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic

By MemorialAdmin • March 30, 2022
    As a grief therapist, I have seen a lot of people grieving loved ones who died from Covid-19 over the past couple of years. A recent study has shown that people who have experienced the death of a loved one due to Covid-19, have increased mental health issues than a pre-pandemic death (Breen, … Continued The post Navigating Grief During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

An Update regarding COVID-19 and its impacts on funeral, burial, and memorial services

By MemorialAdmin • April 23, 2020
We are grateful your family has chosen to entrust your loved one into our care. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has required us to enact some adjustments to how we conduct arrangement conferences, viewings, funeral or memorial services, and other aspects of our processes. Our goal is to allow you and your family to spend as … Continued The post An Update regarding COVID-19 and its impacts on funeral, burial, and memorial services appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Why is a funeral so important?

By MemorialAdmin • September 26, 2019
  Recently, an article came out highlighting the incredible relationship between a mother Orca and her baby calf, who passed away shortly after being born. The mother, Tahlequah, used her snout to keep her deceased calf afloat for 17 days and covered over 1,000 miles of ocean in the process, an unprecedented display of mourning … Continued The post Why is a funeral so important? appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Coping With A Terminal Illness

By MemorialAdmin • May 7, 2019
Many of us have seen a loved one struggle with a terminal diagnosis. It isn’t something we like to talk about, but many of us will also get our OWN terminal diagnosis.  Having a terminal diagnosis brings its own type of grief and decisions to be made. How do you grieve your own death before … Continued The post Coping With A Terminal Illness appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.

Grief Resources for Children

By MemorialAdmin • January 3, 2019
Written by Memorial Mortuary & Cemeteries in-house grief counselor, Amanda Nelsen: I am often asked for resources for young children who have lost someone close to them. Stories are often a good way to open up dialogue with children and illustrate death in a more concrete fashion. I compiled some of my favorites for easy … Continued The post Grief Resources for Children appeared first on Memorial Mortuaries.
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