How Nurses Can Cope After Losing a Patient

Losing a patient is one of the hardest realities of being a nurse. No matter how long you've been in the profession, the emotional weight that follows can linger and affect your mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.

In fact, a recent study found that 73.4% of nurses reported sadness, 58.5% felt helplessness, and 43.6% experienced regret following a patient's death.

So how do you hold space for grief while still showing up for your patients and yourself?

Here are some compassionate, practical strategies to help you cope:

Understanding the Impact of Patient Loss

These feelings are natural responses to loss and can be influenced by factors such as the nurse-patient relationship, the circumstances of the death, and the nurse's personal experiences with mortality. Unaddressed, these emotions can lead to burnout and compassion fatigue, negatively affecting both personal well-being and the quality of patient care.

Strategies for Nurses Coping with Patient Loss

Acknowledge Your Emotions

Grief is not a weakness. It's a sign that you showed up fully, that you were present in your role and connected as a human being. It's okay whether you’re feeling sadness, frustration, guilt, or even numbness. Naming your feelings can be the first step toward processing them. You don’t need to push past or minimize your emotions just because you’re “the strong one.”

Lean on Your Colleagues

Sometimes the only people who genuinely understand what you're going through are the ones beside you at work. Having open, supportive conversations with colleagues—whether it's debriefing after a difficult shift or simply sitting in shared silence—can make a world of difference. You're not alone, and you don't have to carry everything by yourself.

Seek Out Professional Support

Speaking with a mental health professional can help you untangle difficult emotions and create space for healing. Even if you feel like you’re “holding it together,” counseling can give you tools to sustain your well-being in the long term.

If your workplace offers mental health support services, consider taking advantage of them. Whether through an employee assistance program, peer support network, or a trusted outside provider, having someone to talk to can make a meaningful difference in how you cope and heal.

Engage in Physical Activity

Grief and stress often get stuck in the body. Gentle movement like walking, stretching, or even a short yoga session can help release some of that tension. You don’t need a full workout or a gym membership. Just a few minutes of mindful activity can make you feel more grounded and in control.

Use Mindfulness as a Gentle Reset

Mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, and other relaxation techniques can help manage stress and promote emotional balance. These practices encourage staying present and can reduce anxiety associated with grief.

Create a Small Ritual to Honor the Patient

Whether it's a quiet moment at the end of your shift, a journal entry, or lighting a candle at home, having a simple ritual can help provide closure. It doesn’t need to be big or public. Just something that allows you to honor your connection to that patient and acknowledge their impact on you.

Set Professional Boundaries

Caring deeply doesn’t mean you have to carry everything. Setting emotional boundaries allows you to continue providing excellent care without sacrificing your own mental health. It’s okay to draw a line between empathy and emotional depletion. You’re not turning off your compassion. You’re protecting your ability to sustain it.

Keep Learning to Feel Empowered

Death can sometimes leave us feeling powerless. Continuing education—especially around end-of-life care, grief communication, or trauma-informed nursing—can restore a sense of agency. We often feel more equipped to cope with what comes next when we understand more.

It’s Okay to Need Time

There’s no timeline for healing. Some days will be harder than others, and that’s normal. Give yourself permission to feel everything, to ask for help, and to heal in your own time. You deserve that grace just as much as the patients you care for.

Conclusion

Grief isn’t a sign that you’re not cut out for this work. It’s proof that your care runs deep. And while the pain of loss may not disappear, it can soften with time, support, and care, especially when that care includes you. You show up for others every day. You deserve to show up for yourself, too.

Interested in Learning More? Check Out These Resources