Grief and Brain Health: How Prolonged Sadness Impacts Cognition

Last Updated July 10, 2025

Experiencing grief after loss is natural, but it can lead to lasting damage if it remains unresolved. Grieving is a complicated state of mind. Some people describe it as a feeling of profound sadness or a deep yearning for what’s gone missing. These feelings of despair and loneliness often intensify around events like holidays and birthdays that serve as reminders of a loved one’s passing.

Not only can grief can cause immense emotional pain, it can also affect the body physically, especially if someone becomes stuck in their suffering and loneliness. Understanding how grief impacts your health and developing healthy coping strategies can help not only manage grief but also keep your brain and body functioning at their best.

How Grief Impacts Brain Health, Memory, and Physical Function

When grief becomes overwhelming, it can trigger feelings of loneliness and lead to isolation. The bereaved person may experience sleep disturbances, lose their appetite, withdraw from others, and fail to get adequate exercise. These changes can interfere with physical activity, increase stress levels, and hinder brain function.

Psychologically, grief can also affect perception. A grief-stricken person may also turn to catastrophic thinking, believing the loneliness they are experiencing is permanent and unchangeable. For example, if a close friend does not contact you after a loss, it may seem like they do not care or have forgotten about you. The reality may be that the friend just doesn’t know what to say.

People who are in grief may confine themselves to their home, either to avoid reminders of their grief or because they feel insignificant. However, Socially isolating and being inactive for too long can lead to poor aging outcomes like dementia. Isolation can rob the brain of stimulation. Without stimulation, the brain begins to atrophy or decline. Humans are social beings and require interaction and engagement to stay mentally healthy. Without social interaction, stress becomes chronic, with profound potential impacts, from impacting the immune and cardiovascular system to disrupting brain function.

Understanding the Cognitive and Emotional Complexity of Grief

Grieving is essential and natural when there’s a loss. However, grief is not a linear process. These feelings will ebb and surge as the loss is processed. Rather than avoiding these emotions, it’s important to take small steps forward. Here are several coping strategies that can help someone move forward.

Coping with Grief: How to Support Brain Health and Emotional Recovery

Stress and loss often occur hand-in-hand and are unavoidable parts of life. How we respond can shape their long-term impact. There will always be something that creates stress, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a job loss, or dealing with an illness. Even when it feels difficult, pushing outside your comfort zonecan help promote healing.

Here are some coping strategies when grief or loneliness feels insurmountable:

Talk With a Therapist or Grief Counselor: Cognitive therapy can help the bereaved work through emotional pain and provide perspective in healthy ways.

Seek Connections With Others: Rather than isolating, seek ways to engage socially with others. Look into meetup groups in your area. These groups gather to attend events, dine out together, or meet for game nights.

Share your feelings: You’re not alone. Share your feelings with someone you trust. Or join a bereavement group, where you can exchange ideas on coping and share similar experiences.

Find Spiritual Support: You can find support at your place of worship. Join a prayer group or get involved in a ministry that offers solace to members who may be grieving as well. When you talk through your grief with others, it can be therapeutic for everyone involved and provide a sense of purpose.

Write it Out: Journaling is a great way to express your thoughts and feelings. Writing it down can help you get feelings and thoughts out of your head so you can feel less burdened by them. It also serves as a record of how you may or may not be progressing, and whether it may be time to seek professional counseling.

Prioritize Self-Care: Exercise, eat a balanced diet, and get enough sleep, all of which help you cope emotionally. Avoid self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, or food, which can delay healing and increase stress and anxiety.

Create New Traditions. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones can be difficult after a loss.  Instead of isolating, create new routines and traditions that will become meaningful for you every year thereafter.

Healing the Brain After Grief: Small Steps Toward Cognitive and Emotional Recovery

Grief can feel like you’re climbing a mountain. It may feel overwhelming at times, so think about just finding the next foothold or taking the next step. Over time, your ability to respond to grief with resilience will lead to a sense of empowerment.

At Aviv Clinics, we recognize that emotional well-being is deeply connected to brain health. Prolonged grief and chronic stress can impact memory, cognitive performance, and even physical health over time. That’s why our customized Aviv Medical Program takes a holistic approach, addressing not just physical performance, but also the emotional factors that influence brain function.

If you or a loved one are noticing changes in memory, focus, or resilience after a loss, our team is here to help you explore your options.