Sharing your grief: Who would you turn to?

A new survey by Metlife has found that almost a quarter of adults grieve alone. Why does talking about death remain such a taboo?

More than a third of us will have experienced a loss in the past 2 years, and most will have turned to a friend or loved one for support. According to Metlife the most common person to turn to (39%) is a partner and spouse, with a further 27% talking to a friend and 17% to a parent.

The most shocking statistic found, is that 23% of British people who have experienced a loss didn't turn to anyone at all. Not being able to share your feelings, anxieties and grief at such a difficult time can make everything else more difficult. 1 in 4 people said that grief had affected their ability to make decisions, and 1 in 3 said that planning a funeral added a significant amount of stress to an already stressful time, with 13% of people saying that funeral planning after a death caused arguments in their family or friendship groups.

Discussions about death before someone dies can help with this aspect. If your loved ones know your funeral wishes, or you have a funeral plan, then you can rest easy knowing that you may have helped your loved ones avoid some tricky discussions!

Who people turned to when they needed help while grieving:

1. Partner/spouse – 39%
2. Nobody – 23%
3. Friend / Neighbour – 23%
4. Parent – 17%
5. Child(ren) – 13%
6. Religion/ someone in a religious capacity e.g. priest etc. – 6%
7. Cousin – 5%
8. Therapist/ counsellor / support groups / Cruse bereavement support – 5%
9. Grandparent/ Great-grandparent – 4%
10. Colleague/s – 4%
11. NHS – 4%
12. Aunt/ Uncle – 4%
13. Employer / boss – 3%

You can read the full study here. If you want to find out more about how to cope with grief after the death of a loved one you can find helpful organisations and charities in Funeral Guide's Bereavement Support section.