Hello, Grief, my old friend.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced grief. Trick question: everyone would be raising their hands. Before you push back, consider grief as experienced on a continuum or across a range: grief is what we experience emotionally, mentally, physically, psychologically, and globally/culturally when a loss is perceived.

For example, a child drops his ice cream in the dirt and the five-second rule is not enough. This child experiences the grief of his perceived loss. We don’t scold the child for feeling sad or angry his ice cream is gone to his taste buds. We grieve with him and agree that it is sad. Of course, grief also shows up in the context of life-altering deaths or major transitions/changes. Whether our perceived loss was anticipated or unexpected, we will experience it.

Grief can be seen in anger, hopelessness, lethargy, apathy, denial, acceptance, regret, sadness, and even in meaning.

So take a moment to consider: what losses am I aware of and how is my grief expressing itself? Can I allow myself to sit in this expression of grief? Am I allowed to be [insert feeling here] about [insert perceived loss here]?

We are globally and culturally grieving the loss of what was before. If we don’t have spaces or places to express our grief, it may show up in unwanted or distressing ways like as depression, anxiety, or physical ailments. While these can be a common manifestation of grief, if it is impacting your ability to function, you may need more support. Please reach out if we can help connect you with resources because we don’t have to grieve alone.