Use These Tips To Maintain Your Composure During A Funeral Service

Visiting a funeral home to attend a service or a visitation can be emotionally challenging in general, but the process often becomes more difficult if you're concerned that you'll be overly emotional. While emotions are commonplace at funeral homes, it's important that you don't lose your composure to the point that it disrupts other people attending the event or the family that is the mourning the loss of a loved one. If you're intent on avoiding breaking down and crying, there are a number of tips you can use to help keep your composure under control. Here are three ideas that you can try.

Find A Support Partner

Talk within your circle of friends or family members to find someone who will also be visiting the funeral home and can serve as your support partner throughout the proceedings. This is especially important if you'll be attending the event alone instead of with a spouse or partner who would otherwise provide support. Make a point of standing with this support partner as much as possible and even using some supportive physical touch with each other—a gentle squeeze on the arm or a firm hug can help you feel better and prevent you from breaking down when you start to feel overly emotional.

Breathe When You Speak

Remembering to breathe is a simple way to help stay composed. When you're emotional or stressed, it can be easy to take short, shallow breaths. The problem with doing so it that this breathing style can make you feel out of breath, which only serves to make you feel more stressed. It's a vicious cycle that often results in you losing your composure. Make a point of breathing deeply through your visit to the funeral home and always taking proper breaths when you're speaking. Doing so will avoid you talking in a nervous, hurried way that causes stress.

Keep A Bottle Of Water Handy

Sipping water can help you beat a case of the nerves. Whenever you start to feel that you're losing your composure, concentrate on drinking a bit of water and feeling the refreshment it provides. This will momentarily take you out of the emotionally taxing environment, ideally long enough to help you regain your composure. Focus on taking small sips—the last thing you want to do is drink too much during a long funeral service and have to get up to use the restroom.

Funeral homes, such as Brinsfield-Echols Funeral Home, will endeavor to provide a safe and calming environment for services, but with a little more effort you'll be even more prepared to maintain your composure during the service.