There are moments when the world shatters — and no words can fix it. The death of a loved one. The end of a relationship. A miscarriage. A sudden diagnosis. In those moments, life feels surreal. You look around, but nothing fits anymore. You keep functioning, but part of you is gone. That is grief — a shape-shifting storm that demands space, patience, and honesty.
What Grief Really Is
Grief isn’t just sadness. It’s confusion, numbness, rage, denial, longing. It comes in waves, not stages. One moment you’re okay, the next you’re in tears over a song or a smell. Grief doesn’t follow logic. It follows love. The deeper the bond, the deeper the absence. And no two griefs are alike.
The Pressure to “Move On”
Society is deeply uncomfortable with grief. You’ll hear, “Be strong,” “They’re in a better place,” or “Everything happens for a reason.” These words may be well-intended — but they silence real pain. Grief doesn’t need to be fixed. It needs to be witnessed. You don’t need permission to feel broken. You’re allowed to fall apart.
Healthy Ways to Cope With Loss
- Make space to grieve: Cry. Write. Talk. Don’t bottle it to protect others.
- Honor the loss: Light a candle. Create a ritual. Say their name. Keep them with you.
- Stay grounded: Eat. Sleep. Walk. Your body needs care while your heart is healing.
- Seek community: You don’t have to grieve alone. Support groups and therapy can hold what feels unbearable.
Grief Doesn’t Have a Deadline
You don’t “get over” loss. You grow around it. Life doesn’t return to normal — it creates a new version of normal, one that includes your grief. Eventually, the pain softens. The memories bring warmth, not just ache. But the love? That stays. Forever.
Whatever you’ve lost, you are allowed to feel it fully. There is no wrong way to grieve. No shame in missing. No shame in surviving. The fact that it hurts this much only means it mattered that much. And that kind of love never really dies.