Walking Through Grief: A Compassionate Guide

Grief is a universal human experience. Yet, it can feel incredibly isolating when it’s your own heart that is breaking. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a relationship, health, or even a dream, grief has a way of reshaping the world around us.

Some try to “be strong,” to push past, or to ignore their grief. They may feel pressure to return to “normal life” sooner than it feels possible. But grief doesn’t have a schedule, and healing is not about forgetting. It’s about learning a new way of living with the loss that honours both the pain you experience and the love that you had and still may have.

Understanding grief

Grief is not a straight line. You may be familiar with the five stages - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages are not a checklist, or a schedule. They act more like a guide that helps us understand what we are and what we may expeirence. Most people move in and out of these stages like waves in the ocean. As feelings and experiences ebb and flow, sometimes more intensely and sometimes not at all. Also, some stages may linger and some may return.

All of that is normal. What’s important to know is that grief is not something to avoid. Instead, grief is something to live with and beside as we journey through life in a new way that doesn’t forget or reject

Moving Forward, Not Moving On

The truth is, grief changes us. But that doesn’t mean life cannot hold joy again. Helaing is not about leaving the past behind-it’s about carrying the love and lessons forward while making space for new experiences.

If you are grieving, know this: you are not broken. You are learning to live with a loss that mattered deeply. And with time, support, and compassion, the sharp edges of grief can soften into a gentler presence - one that reminds you of the depth of your love.