In early grief, Megan Devine, author of It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay, states “the first weeks and months after an out-of-order death is a world unto themselves. At that initial time of impact, few things bring comfort. Words of intended comfort just grate. Encouragement is not really helpful. That “impact” zone is not the time for future plans or even for reflection on what’s going on. Survival has a very small circumference. It’s not an ordinary time, and ordinary rules do not apply.”
While experiencing early grief, it is important to keep your personal safety and those around you, at top of your mind. If you’re driving and experience a visceral response to your grief, consider pulling over and letting those emotions wash over you. Driving while distraught is not only dangerous to yourself but to those around you. Megan says, “I did not want to mess up someone else’s life or cause anyone else any pain, by creating an accident scene they had to clean up. So – safety first. Do it for yourself, if you can. Do it for others if you must.”
For more tips on surviving early grief, we highly recommend Megan Devine’s book not only for grieving individuals but also support people of the bereaved. Her book is available wherever books are sold.
Source: Devine, Megan. It's Ok That You're Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand. Sounds True, Incorporated, 2017.