What is grief?

I know this may sound simple but this is an excellent place to start. Grief comes from the loss of someone or something dear to you. The most common form is the loss of someone you cared about however, it can come from divorce, the loss of a pet, the loss of a job, and many other things. For now, we will focus on the loss of someone close to you. 

Grief is not the same as depression type of mental illness and the two should not be confused with one another. Mental illness depression comes from a chemical imbalance and is not always situational. Grief depression is always situational from the loss or the memory of the loss of someone or something close to you.

Every person and every situation is different and that is ok. We grieve because we loved. Sometimes this can even affect our identity. This loss of identity can also cause more grief. You are not alone.

There is no time limit to the amount of time it takes to move forward. No one should pressure you to move on but it happens quite often. I want you to know to take as long as you need. It is ok. I also dislike using the phrase “move on” because I do not think we ever move on. Those that we care about always keep a piece of our hearts. Instead, we move forward. Our hearts grow bigger around that loss. It may be hard to believe at this time but I promise that at some point, you will be able to look at the good times you shared with this person.