Understanding Grief in Young People

As a young person, you may find bereavement particularly hard as you are already experiencing many changes in your life as you move towards adulthood. Your friends may not have experienced someone close to them dying and may not know what to say to you and this can make you feel alone with your grief.  

You may feel a range of emotions, including;

• shock
• anger
• numbness
• disbelief
• helplessness
• being overwhelmed

Whilst this can be very difficult, it is completely normal, and these feelings will ease over time.

It is important to be able to talk about how you are feeling to someone you can trust. This could be a family member, a friend, or a teacher at school. 

Those close to you may notice changes in you if you appear to become more introverted, isolated, and start to behave differently to normal. It is important to ask for help when you need it and there is a lot of help out there. You do not need to go through this alone.

If you feel you would like to talk to someone who isn’t part of your usual support network, we are here to help. Our kind, non-judgemental and carefully trained volunteers are available to listen to you and help you express your feelings as you move through your own journey of grief. The first step is to call our free National Bereavement Helpline. Alternatively, you can use our GriefChat service (if you are over the age of 18) or email support@crusescotland.org.uk.