We love sharing research at Help Texts, especially when there are simple, pragmatic takeaways we can share with our subscribers and followers. In this study we see that while cognitive reappraisal (reframing thoughts about loss) can be protective, expressive suppression (actively bottling up emotions after they arise) appears to take a physical toll on the body. As we talk about a lot at Help Texts, it doesn't matter HOW you let your emotions out (at the gym, in therapy, in a journal, and shouting at the wind will all do the trick)... but out they need to come.
The study of 99 bereaved spouses found that those who frequently suppressed their emotions experienced significantly higher inflammation, a marker linked to cardiovascular disease and compromised immune function.
This matters because well-meaning friends and family often encourage grievers to "be strong" or "keep it together"—but this advice may actually cause long-term negative health outcomes.
The takeaway? Grief isn't just an emotional experience—it's a whole-body response. Supporting bereaved individuals means normalizing the full range of physical and emotional reactions they may experience.
This is exactly why we created Help Texts—to provide bereaved spouses with evidence-based information about both the physical reactions of grief and healthy coping strategies. Because understanding what's happening in your body can be the first step toward healing.
Here's the research if you want to dig in. https://lnkd.in/gtTJqJ-g
Research citation 👉 Lopez, R. , Brown, R. , Wu, E. , Murdock, K. , Denny, B. , Heijnen, C. & Fagundes, C. (2020). Emotion Regulation and Immune Functioning During Grief: Testing the Role of Expressive Suppression and Cognitive Reappraisal in Inflammation Among Recently Bereaved Spouses. Psychosomatic Medicine, 82 (1), 2-9. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000755.