Five Ways to Handle Grief.

Someone very close to me passed away this weekend. I’ll be travelling for the funeral later in the week. I’m not looking forward to it if I’m honest. I’ve never been good with grief, my own or that of others. Most Autistics struggle with identifying and dealing with emotions, our own and other people’s. I never know what to say. I know I’m feeling sad, but that is about the extent of my capacity to deal with grieving.

So here are five things I do to help myself:

1. Chocolate. What? It helps everything.
2. Write. I’ve found it a great relief to channel the turmoil within into my writing, does tend to make for more dramatic stories though.
3. Reading, losing myself in someone else’s story.
4. Movies, see above.
5. Friends. Neurotypical friends in particular are a great help because they often help me muddle through figuring out my own feelings, and can help me understand how to respond to others.

How do you deal with grief?