The lived experience of grief doesn't conform to a clear linear path.

The lived experience of grief doesn't conform to a clear linear path. Every person experiences grief over the course of their lives.  It is intertwined with the most essential human experience: love. 
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​Whether through the death of a loved one, the end of a meaningful relationship, or another less tangible form of loss, grief is an experience that none of us can escape forever.
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The lived experience of grief doesn't conform to a clear linear path. It’s a raw and difficult struggle—one that can be utterly unpredictable.
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There is no one way to process profound loss, and the idea that you should be meeting external benchmarks is both unrealistic and counterproductive.

One of the best things we can do in times of loss is to consider our emotions and label them precisely.

“Grief,”  can become a catch-all word for a whole range of feelings. Get specific with what you are experiencing at a particular moment.

You might feel regret over a harsh comment that you will never have the chance to apologize for.
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You might feel abandoned, left to navigate the world without someone who was once a guide.

If the loss comes at the end of a long illness, you might feel a sense of relief that the ordeal has finally ended, and then guilt about experiencing relief.

Once you’ve discovered what you’re feeling, remind yourself that it’s perfectly fine to feel that way.

There’s no right way to grieve.
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​While it can be tempting to numb our pain with distractions, work, staying busy, alcohol or other intoxicants, the only way out of grief is through it.

Allow yourself to feel how you feel and in doing so you’ll begin to process those emotions.

Show yourself compassion. The last thing you need is to judge yourself for feeling or mourning in a way that seems to be outside what others say is the normal way to grieve.