A Therapist's Top 5 Ways To Manage Collective Grief In Difficult Times

Grief is a universal human experience, especially when it's a collective grief we can all feel. And in those moments, in order for us to do our part in the world, we must also take care of ourselves. You can't pour from an empty cup, and as grief and trauma therapist Gina Moffa, LCSW, tells mindbodygreen. Collective trauma impacts everything down to our nervous system.

"With loss, there's a profound full-body experience we don't fully understand," she explains, adding, "Society's always equated grief with the loss of a loved one, but it's really triggered by so many things, and it can be incredibly deeply personal."

Grief can be thought of as the felt loss of anything that is significant or important to us, according to Moffa, who authored Moving on Doesn't Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss. "Even the loss of safety—and that can come from collective stuff, even if it's not necessarily happening near us," she adds.

When the collective is hurting, we hurt, and it comprises our sense of safety. Plus, more often than not, we also tend to put our self-care on the back burner, Moffa adds.

"So it's so important to create a safe environment for yourself and promote your own physical and emotional well-being, like with a mindfulness routine, getting enough rest, drinking enough water, and getting out into nature," she explains.

Along with basic aspects of caring for yourself like eating and hydrating, structure and routine also tend to slip when we're going through a tough time. "When there's chaos and uncertainty, we sort of don't have enough structure, so everything feels chaotic," Moffa tells mindbodygreen.

This one is twofold: normalizing empathy while also having self-compassion. Collective trauma and grief are somewhat of a different beast than the personal grief we feel on a more micro scale—but both have a place in this conversation.

As Moffa explains, empathy ought to be normalized and further, celebrated because it speaks to how interconnected we feel to each other. That's a beautiful thing, and your brain and body are reacting appropriately when you recognize collective trauma.

In times of collective trauma, it can feel impossible—and even wrong—to look away. Nevertheless, according to Moffa, it's important to know your emotional limits when such trauma starts to permeate your well-being, triggering trauma responses and emotional reactions and leading to helplessness and hopelessness.

"We can become absolutely paralyzed with grief and trauma. Emotions are contagious," Moffa explains, "so it's OK to give yourself permission to turn things off if you find you're becoming totally dysregulated. It's understanding your emotional limit."

Last but not least, Moffa says, reach out to support networks or a mental health professional if you're struggling. "It's OK to need guidance and support to navigate times of collective trauma—and just to have the support," she says, adding, "It can provide us with understanding, a safe space to share our experiences and feelings, and connection with people who feel the same way."