Going beyond 'sorry for your loss' when a friend is grieving

Going beyond 'sorry for your loss' when a friend is grieving

From Life Kit by NPR

May 5, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

This episode discusses effective ways to support a grieving friend, featuring insights from grief experts and personal experiences.

When a friend's loved one has died, what do you do? Send flowers? Condolences? Distract them? It can be hard to know how to support a grieving friend. You want to be there for them, but you also know there's not much you can do to heal their pain. This episode, reporter Julia Furlan talks to grief experts about the most effective ways to show up for someone. And she shares insights from the times she's supported her own friends through their loss. This episode was originally published on Dec. 5, 2024. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit Sign up for our newsletter here. Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at lifekit@npr.org Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Julia Furlan

Topics covered

  • grief support
  • loss
  • friendship
  • empathy
  • mental health

Keywords

  • grieving
  • support
  • condolences
  • empathy
  • loss

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR

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