Allow yourself to grieve It is natural to cry. Many people find crying a relief. Exploring and expressing emotions can be a part of grief.
Crying is a normal and natural grief reaction for most people who've experienced losing a loved one. Crying can be the ultimate healer in the release of grief and sorrow. When you hold back tears, it registers stress in your brain and signals that something's wrong.
It is perfectly normal not to cry when someone dies. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and everyone deals with loss in their own way. It doesn't mean that you don't care, that you are cold, or that you are broken in any way. It simply means that you process your emotions in a different way.
Go Ahead and Cry
When a loved one cries in front of a dying person, that person then gains the permission and confidence to also be candid about emotions. It opens a pathway to a conversation that could be once in a lifetime. Additionally, the loved one who's dying knows others are sad.
It's Okay to Cry: How to Embrace Crying and Your Feelings. Finally, remind yourself that crying at a funeral is a natural part of the grieving process. You're allowed to show your emotions, even if it feels awkward at first. In fact, some cultures include crying as part of the wake etiquette.
Don't feel guilty about saying or doing something that causes a loved one to cry or crying yourself. Crying is healthy. If, however, you find yourself weeping uncontrollably (you're causing a scene or making other mourners uncomfortable), it is polite to excuse yourself until you regain control.
"Talking or being on your phone during the service is one of the most disrespectful things you could do at a funeral," says Myka Meier, Beaumont Etiquette founder and etiquette expert. It's important to be as present as possible. "Silence your phone, shut off your phone, or even just leave it behind.
Visions and Hallucinations
Visual or auditory hallucinations are often part of the dying experience. The appearance of family members or loved ones who have died is common. These visions are considered normal. The dying may turn their focus to “another world” and talk to people or see things that others do not see.
It is time to accept and understand that our profession is all about human connection, and showing emotion is in a way comforting both for the patients and the nurses alike. So to wrap this all up, we should not trivialize the tears of our nurses. Let them cry in front of you.
You may have said your goodbyes already and not feel a need to be there when they die. Interaction does matter to the person dying, so visiting in the months and years before death would be the best route to take to help meet their needs.
It's not abnormal to not cry. If you are saddened by the death of a loved one, then it shouldn't matter how you respond to that. Everyone grieves in their own way, and just because you didn't cry doesn't mean that you're incompassionate or heartless. It just means that you react differently to the situation.
Don't try to minimize their loss, provide simplistic solutions, or offer unsolicited advice. It's far better to just listen to your loved one or simply admit: “I'm not sure what to say, but I want you to know I care.” Be willing to sit in silence. Don't press if the grieving person doesn't feel like talking.
Often funerals can bring up thoughts of other people who have died. It's quite common to find that you are grieving someone you didn't expect to. Sometimes people feel worried or even guilty that they are not focussing on the 'right' feelings or even the right person. But it's very normal.
Your heart stops beating. Your brain stops. Other vital organs, including your kidneys and liver, stop. All your body systems powered by these organs shut down, too, so that they're no longer capable of carrying on the ongoing processes understood as, simply, living.
The five stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – are often talked about as if they happen in order, moving from one stage to the other. You might hear people say things like 'Oh I've moved on from denial and now I think I'm entering the angry stage'. But this isn't often the case.
A hug may or may not be acceptable. The person who has the right to make that determination is the patient. Nurses are expected to interact with patients in an empathetic way that supports the patient's healing or wellness. Nurses are not required to hug patients when patients ask for a hug.
According to the American Nurses Association, the pledge was named after Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing. In the pledge, nurses promise to uphold the Hippocratic oath, do no harm, practice discretion and be dedicated to their work as a nurse.
Introverts can make excellent nurse leaders because they excel at mentoring and empowering others. There are other reasons why introverts can be amazing nurses. They have strong listening and observation skills which often translates into rewarding relationships with others.
Most people who are dying feel tired. They may want to sleep more often, or for longer periods. They may want to talk less, although some may want to talk more. They may want to eat less or eat different foods since their stomach and digestive system are slowing down.
The fear of dying is quite common, and most people feel that death is scary to varying degrees. To what extent that fear occurs and what it pertains to specifically varies from one person to another. While some fear is healthy because it makes us more cautious, some people may also have an unhealthy fear of dying.
Although we know that we cannot bring back the past, we ache and hurt because we want their comforting presence in our lives forever. It is very important to grieve when we lose someone. Grieving makes us tender and brings us close to our heart.
Is It Okay to Smile at a Funeral? It's not only okay to smile at a funeral but it's also encouraged, especially when greeting the bereaved. Seeing someone smile at us can help lift our spirits. It's also a nonverbal way of showing support.
Don't tell friends or family members who are grieving that their loved one has gone to a better place. Never call the death a blessing or speculate that it was that person's time. Avoid saying anything that suggests that the loss of the loved one is a positive thing.
Avoid platitudes that can perceived as insensitive, like "He's in a better place," and "The pain will lessen in time." Don't ask how the person died, or tell the bereaved you know how they feel.