You've probably heard of the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
A lot of people picture these stages like steps on a ladder—like you move neatly from one to the next, and eventually land on acceptance, where everything somehow feels okay again. But grief doesn't actually work like that.
These stages were never meant to be a straight line. There's no "leveling up" or graduating from one stage to the next. You don't hit acceptance and suddenly stop feeling sad. In reality, grief is messy. Some people experience all five stages, some don't. Some people move through multiple stages in a single day—feeling denial in the morning, anger by the afternoon, and deep sadness at night.
It can feel confusing, unpredictable, and honestly… exhausting. Nothing about that means you're doing it wrong.
Grief isn't something you "get over." It's something you learn to carry. Over time, it can shift and soften, but it doesn't disappear. What often changes is your capacity to hold it. You begin to find moments where grief and happiness exist side by side.
And that's not a failure to move on—that's part of healing. If you're navigating grief and would like support, I offer a free 15-minute consultation to discuss how we might work together.