Going beyond 'sorry for your loss' when a friend is grieving
5/5/202621 min
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.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Marielle Segarra· Host0:15
[upbeat music] You're listening to Life Kit from NPR. Hey, everybody. It's Marielle. We're starting this episode in the top drawer of a dresser in reporter Julia Furlan's living room. [drawers rattling] In that drawer is a small decorative bag filled with a few little things.
Julia Furlan0:39
Okay, here it is. [bag rustling] I can't, I can't believe I found it. There's a pair of avocado socks. They're purple with a little avocado. Fortune teller fish. It's a miracle fish. Night garden mix Hudson Valley Seed Company. Deep cleansing pink clay mud mask. Doesn't say when it expired. Card that says, "You're my queen," featuring [laughs] the Queen of England in a flower crown. I bought this when the Queen of England had not died.
Marielle Segarra· Host1:12
Julia is describing a care package that she intended to send to her friend whose mom passed away in 2022. She reported this episode in 2024.
Julia Furlan1:22
This bag represents a total fail in supporting my friend.
Marielle Segarra· Host1:27
When you're grieving the loss