1. Routine, Exercise, and Nourishing Food

Why it helps:
Regular routines provide predictability and grounding in a world disrupted by loss. Exercise releases endorphins, reduces stress hormones, and improves sleep — all of which support mood regulation and emotional stability. Eating balanced, nourishing meals fuels the body and brain, helping you think clearly, regulate emotions, and respond calmly to the young person’s needs.

How to practice:

• Schedule consistent bed and wake-up times, meals, and physical activity. Even a short walk, stretching, or gentle yoga can reset the body and mind. Preparing a simple, healthy meal can also be a mindful and grounding activity.

• Some days, even getting out of bed, eating, or moving feels impossible. That’s okay. Start small: a glass of water, a few minutes of gentle stretching, or a simple snack. Each small step counts and honours your own needs.

Additional guidance:

• It’s okay to have days where self-care feels out of reach. Asking for help from friends, family, or professionals is not a sign of weakness; it’s a way to sustain yourself so you can continue supporting the young person.

• Be mindful not to let the young person take on more responsibility than is healthy for them. Teens and young adults may try to “be strong” to protect you or make sure you are okay. While understandable, this can be harmful: it shifts emotional burdens onto them, increases anxiety, and prevents them from fully processing their own grief. Your presence, honesty, and steady support should remain your responsibility, not theirs.

2. Build Your Support Network

Peer support, counselling, bereavement groups, or community spaces can provide guidance, understanding, and reassurance. You don’t need to carry grief alone, and modelling help-seeking teaches young people that asking for support is a strength.

3. Engage in Restorative Activities

Why it helps: Restorative practices restore energy, calm, and perspective, helping you show up fully for the young person.

Examples:

• Mindful breathing, meditation, or yoga

• Creative expression: drawing, journaling, music, or photography

• Connect with nature: A walk, sitting in sunlight, or simply noticing the world around you can provide calm, perspective, and a sense of continuity.

• Rituals and ceremonies of remembrance (lighting candles, planting trees, memory boxes). Your rituals don’t have to mirror the young person’s respect for their choices without pushing participation.

• Continuing bonds: looking at photos, telling stories, or sharing memories

4. Practice What You’ve Learned

Try the emotional noticing, grounding, and self-compassion practices described earlier. Observing and naming your emotions, mindful breathing, or journaling model coping strategies and strengthen resilience.

5. Allow Yourself Moments of Pause

Even brief breaks, a walk, a shower, or a cup of tea, help you return with renewed attention and patience. Pausing doesn’t mean abandoning the young person; it means returning able to witness their grief fully.

Modelling Self-Care for Young People

By caring for yourself, you show the young person that grief is complex and emotions can be managed safely. Examples:

• Taking a mindful pause: “I’m stepping outside for a moment to breathe; I’ll be back to sit with you.”

• Engaging in journaling, creative expression, or rituals alongside them.

• Sharing memories or stories of the deceased naturally, showing that continuing bonds are part of healthy grief.