5 Tips to Cope With Grief at Work and Find Your Balance After Loss
- Apr 10, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 15
Written by Elizabeth Huang, Life Coach & Death Doula
Elizabeth Huang is a certified life coach, grief educator, and death doula. Her work emphasizes enhancing emotional literacy, fostering social and emotional learning, and supporting affective development in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology.
Grief doesn’t wait until after work to show up. It comes up in the middle of meetings, during deadlines, and in the quiet moments in between. For many people, returning to work after a loss can feel disorienting, like you’re expected to perform as if nothing has changed, even though everything has. Conflict and tension may arise more frequently. If this is your reality right now, here are five practical tips for navigating grief in the workplace:
1. Do not use work to repress, suppress, or avoid
Grief is complex; it touches every part of us, from our emotions and thoughts to how we feel in our bodies. It’s absolutely normal to want to dive into work as a way to distract or distance yourself from the pain. But when we try to bury grief, it often resurfaces in other ways: through exhaustion, irritability, trouble sleeping, intrusive thoughts, or withdrawing from others. Rather than pushing through, consider honoring what you’re carrying by asking for support at work or taking time off when possible.
If you find yourself avoiding work because of grief, that’s normal, too. Focus on small, manageable steps, like breaking tasks into bite-sized pieces or jotting down a simple to-do list. And if that feels like too much, ask for help. If going into work feels especially heavy, try adding something gentle to your day, a lunch with a supportive coworker, a short walk, or anything that offers a bit of ease or grounding in the middle of it all.
2. Communicate with your team or manager(s)
Grief can feel isolating, but letting your team or manager(s) know what you’re going through can be a powerful step toward support. You don’t need to share every detail or open up emotionally if that feels like too much. Simply informing them about your loss allows others to meet you with more understanding, and gives you space to acknowledge your grief out loud, which can be healing in itself.
3. Set boundaries at work
Boundaries are essential when you're grieving, and even more so in a work environment. Here are two key types of boundaries to consider:
Boundaries that protect your energy: For example, “I won’t be available to take on extra shifts this week.”
Boundaries that guide communication: For example, “I’d like to keep you updated, but I may not be ready to talk in detail yet.”
Both will help protect your emotional well-being while maintaining healthy, respectful dynamics with coworkers.
4. Create a plan for support
Grief doesn’t follow a schedule, but work usually does. It can help to think ahead:
Could carrying a small object of remembrance help you feel more grounded or connected during the day?
If grief shows up suddenly (like a wave of emotion or a panic response), how will you care for yourself in the moment?
Is there someone you trust at work you can go to or text if needed?
Even having one supportive person and a few simple grounding tools can make a big difference.
5. Compartmentalize when needed, and circle back
Sometimes, putting grief on pause during work hours is necessary. It’s okay to “shelve” emotions temporarily in order to get through meetings or complete tasks. Just be sure to circle back later, in a safe space and at a pace that feels manageable. Grief doesn’t disappear when ignored; it simply waits. Give yourself time and permission to feel once you’re out of performance mode.
For managers and coworkers: How to offer support
Grief doesn’t follow deadlines, even if work does. Supporting a grieving coworker means balancing compassion with accountability. You don’t need to absorb their workload or have all the answers; just stay open, curious (without prying), and willing to co-create a plan that supports both their healing and the team’s needs.
If you are not in a position to offer support, for any reason, the most respectful thing you can do is let the person know with care and honesty.
Bonus tip: Consider workplace culture before you need it
As all of this depends on the culture of your workplace, it’s important to ask about how a company supports employees' mental health, bereavement, and flexibility before accepting a job. The way a workplace treats grief is often a reflection of how they value humanity.
When to seek additional support
Grief is rattling. It often stirs up past pain, heightens existing struggles with anxiety or depression, and can lead to burnout. You might feel lost, emotionally flooded, or disconnected from your sense of purpose. Relationships may feel harder to navigate, and the coping tools that once helped might no longer feel effective.
These are all signs that you may benefit from additional support.
Seeking help doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re tending to something tender and important. Support can take many forms:
A therapist or coach who specializes in grief or trauma
A grief support group
Creative outlets like writing, movement, or art
Wherever you are in your grief, you don’t have to carry it alone. Connect with me for a free 1:1 session to see how I can support you.
Read more from Elizabeth Huang
Elizabeth Huang, Life Coach & Death Doula
Elizabeth Huang is a certified life coach, grief educator, and death doula dedicated to helping individuals navigate life’s transitions with greater emotional awareness and resilience. Born and raised in California, she was deeply influenced by the American culture’s discomfort with grief and avoidance of death. This inspired her to explore a more intentional and holistic approach to life, loss, and the emotions that shape our experiences. Through her work, Elizabeth guides individuals in processing grief - whether it stems from death, identity shifts, career changes, or other major life transitions.
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