Dealing with Grief as a Student

There’s never an easy time to experience a loss. My grandmother passed away during my last semester of high school and my mother died during my last semester at university. Losing my loved ones while finishing my education and moving on to the next stages of my life made the experience all the more painful.

I was very close to my grandmother and I did everything wrong when it came to that grieving process and trying to survive school afterwards. I did a little bit better with navigating school when my mother died, but that doesn’t change how difficult it was. It’s hard to sit in class and learn about different things when you feel like you have a hole in your heart and your head is full of static.

There is no simple way to prepare for something like this to happen. However, there are some ways to hopefully make dealing with school a little bit easier so you can take some stress off of yourself.

Tell Your Teachers

This was something I did when my mother died that I didn’t really do when my grandmother passed. I made a point to inform all of my teachers as well as anyone else in similar positions, like my academic advisor and the dean of my college. This also helps because when teachers know, they can help you if you fall behind. I was lucky at university because my professors worked with me and were very understanding that sometimes it just wasn’t possible for me to sit in class.

Reach Out for Professional Help

At my university, there was a Counseling Center I was able to go to and receive services, but a guidance counselor or can help you and your family find affordable therapy or a support group as well.

Be Kind To Yourself

Be aware of what helps and what hurts. Utilize your support system when things get hard. You can also try writing about what you’re going through. You may even decide you need to take a mental health day. Something I wish I had learned a long time ago that it’s okay to cry; it doesn’t make you weak at all.

It’s hard to lose someone you really love and care about. Even though everyone experiences loss differently, please remember to be kind to yourself and do what you need to do to take care of your mental health.