Grief has no expiration date.
When we think of grief and loss, we immediately think of the death of a person. This is true. Most often it relates to the loss of a person we know. But the bigger picture is that loss can happen in so many areas of our life. We can lose our job, a friendship that falls apart or grows apart, the death of a pet, a marriage that turns into a divorce, a relationship that fades into a friendship or a breakup, the loss of a child, the loss of a body part or the ability to use that body part, or the loss of a dream or hope we had.
Grief is the experience of coping with a loss. It’s a mix of emotions…happy, sad, anger, regret, guilt, fear, or disappointment. It can creep up on you at any time when any of your five senses are triggered by something that brings up a feeling or memory. Let yourself feel those emotions. The more you hold them in to protect yourself or another loved one, the more your feelings are going to want to pour out of you. And when they do, it may not be in the way you hope or at a time and place that even makes sense.
There is a saying about grief:
“The hole never fills, but life grows around it.”
That missing piece will remain, but as time progresses, we have to find ways to do the same. When we do, we are not forgetting or leaving that loss behind. It carries with us like a backpack on our shoulders and it will feel lighter with time.
Side Note: If you are looking for a heartfelt and honest TV show about grief and loss, check out the show ‘After Life’ with Ricky Gervais on Netflix. It will make you cry, laugh and feel very relatable no matter the kind of loss you have experienced.
Heads up! There is explicit language.
If there is an experience about grief and loss you wish to share, please do.