Grief comes in all shapes and sizes. It is the emotional response to someone or something we love being taken away. Grief is commonly associated with loss through death. But it is far more encompassing and often accompanies many of life transitions, such as loss of a relationship, your health, a dream, transitioning into retirement, selling your family home, or even graduating from school. Anticipatory grief, is experiencing emotions associated with grief before the expected loss actually happens. Facing a terminal illness, diagnosis of dementia, or other expected loss may trigger grief around the loss of future experiences, milestones, and/or the person you knew, even if they are still physically there. Ambiguous loss, which tends to be much less recognized, is loss that does not have a sense of closure. This may look like an adult child longing for the love of their emotionally absent parent, becoming “empty nesters”, a pet that has run away, or during the pandemic the loss of routine, safety, and predictability.

Grief and loss change us. Not only do we lose someone or something significant, we also tend to lose a piece of ourselves—shifting the way we view ourselves, the world, and others. These experiences can result in feelings of disconnect, anxiety, isolation, and confusion. Our culture tends to rush the grieving process, setting expectations of “feeling better and getting back to normal in a couple of days.” Grief is an individualized journey, that rarely follows a set path or timeline.

Do you find yourself…

Struggling to allow yourself to experience the pain and feelings surrounding your loss.

Having trouble carrying out normal daily routines.

Isolating from others and withdrawing from social activities.

Experiencing overwhelm, numbness, fear, guilt, or self-blame.

Feeling pressured to “move on, hurry up and feel better, or to just get over it” or feel that expressing your grief and sadness is too much of a “burden” for others.

Are you ready to…

Understand and work towards accepting grief and the loss.

Learn techniques to manage emotional pain.

Become acquainted with the new version of yourself and adjust to your new reality.

Strengthen existing relationships.

Find meaning and plan for the future.