Trying to navigate through your grief is not an easy thing to do—but I am sure you might know that by now.

I have many people who ask when they first come into my grief groups, “How long is this going to take—weeks, months, years?” My answer is always the same. “Grief takes as long as it takes.” Now that may sound like I am trying to avoid the question—but I am not. Grief does take as long as it takes.

Everyone grieves differently. For example, men and women grieve differently, as do children, teens, younger adults, and older adults. There is no set time limit. What works for one person may not work for anyone else.

You see, when you have lost a piece of your heart, there is no time limit. There is no right way to grieve, just yours. If it works for you, that is great. However, if it doesn’t, perhaps you might try something different.

It might help you to do some journaling, to seek out a grief group or an individual grief therapist—remember, not every therapist works with grief, so be sure you find a grief therapist.

You might even look back into your life when you had another loss or something tragic happen and how you made it through that experience.........

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