Grief cannot be measured, compared, or ranked. There is no scale that determines whose loss is “worse,” whose pain is deeper, or whose grief is more legitimate.

While many people accept that certain losses, such as the death of a child, are the “worst” kinds of grief, different losses touch people in different ways. The loss of a child, a parent, partner, sibling, chosen family member, or beloved pet can each carry a depth of grief that is profound and long-lasting.

Comparing grief can be deeply harmful, often leading people to doubt their pain, feel undeserving of support, or feel pressured to move on and "get over" it.

In reality, every grief experience deserves understanding, care, and compassion.

Grief is often associated with death, but many people are surprised to learn that grief can arise from any meaningful loss, even when no one has died.

For this reason, grief is an emotional response to change, rupture, or the loss of what once was. It can follow endings, transitions, and moments when life no longer looks the way it used to.

Grief doesn’t always look like sadness. It can appear as irritability, exhaustion, numbness, forgetfulness, overworking, restlessness, physical pain, or feeling disconnected from yourself and others.

Grief can also surface months or even years after a loss, and can be overlooked due to everyday stressors, making it difficult to recognize.

Because many forms of loss, such as identity changes, life transitions, trauma, relationship shifts, or unmet expectations, often go unacknowledged, people don’t always realize that what they’re experiencing is grief.

You may be grieving if you’ve experienced:

• Divorce, separation, or the end of a relationship

• Estranged or fractured family relationships

• Infertility, pregnancy loss, or unmet hopes of parenthood

• Chronic illness, disability, or changes in physical or mental health

• A medical diagnosis (your own or a loved one’s)

• Career loss, retirement, or shifts in professional identity

• Relocation or loss of community

• Changes in family roles or long-term dynamics

• Trauma or life-altering events

• Loss of safety, trust, purpose, identity, or a sense of self

When grief is ignored, suppressed or pushed aside, it often resurfaces as anxiety, irritability, exhaustion, physical symptoms, emotional numbness, or difficulty connecting with others.

Unprocessed grief can keep people stuck, prolong suffering, and make it harder to make meaning of their loss.

By acknowledging and tending to grief, we give ourselves the chance to understand it, integrate it, and carry it in healthier, more compassionate ways.

Thus, in facing grief, and not avoiding it, we create the conditions for healing, resilience, and emotional well-being.

Common signs and symptoms of grief that are often ignored include:

• Emotional exhaustion or burnout

• Consistently prioritizing others’ needs before your own

• Anxiety, irritability, or feeling “on edge”

• Guilt or self-doubt

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Changes in sleep or appetite

• Feeling disconnected from yourself or others

• Addiction, substance misuse, and risk-taking behaviors

Grief is overwhelming, unpredictable, and deeply human. There is no expectation that you should “hold it together” or feel okay when life has been upended.

Feeling sad, angry, numb, confused, or unlike yourself is not a sign of weakness or failure, it’s a natural response to loss.

Allowing yourself to not be okay gives your grief space to be felt, understood, and eventually softened.

Thus, healing begins when we stop judging our emotions and give ourselves permission to be exactly where we are.

Grief is a normal and natural response to loss—not a pathology or a sign that something is wrong.

It reflects our capacity to love, connect, and care deeply, and is an essential part of the human experience rather than a condition to be cured.

While a small percentage of grievers may need clinical intervention due to trauma or complications, most people simply need community, connection, and supportive spaces where their grief can be witnessed and honored.

Grief does not usually require medication, because it’s a natural emotional process that medicine cannot fix or speed up.

In many cases, medication can numb or suppress the very emotions the body needs to feel in order to heal and recover from loss.

However, when grief is complicated by other challenges—such as severe depression, anxiety, trauma, or difficulty functioning—prescription medication may be helpful in managing symptoms so that emotional processing can occur.