When Grief Catches You Off Guard

Many people reflect on the different shapes grief can take. Sometimes it's expected… and sometimes it arrives suddenly, in a moment that takes us entirely by surprise.

It might be a song, a scent, a photo, or a quiet pause in the day, something small that opens a door to a memory you thought had softened with time. One moment you're going about your day, and the next you're standing in a place you didn't realise still held so much emotion.

If this has happened to you, you're not alone.

Grief Isn't Linear

Grief doesn't follow a timetable. There is no "over it," no point at which you're expected to have completed the process.

Some days, grief is gentle, a soft wave brushing your feet. Other days, it feels powerful enough to take you off them completely.

Years later, it can still surprise you. That doesn't mean you're going backwards. It means you're human, and that love leaves a mark that time doesn't erase.

Letting Go of the "Shoulds"

So many people quietly carry the belief that they should have moved on by now.

Should be coping better.

Shouldn't still feel this way.

But grief doesn't respond to pressure or expectation.

You learn to live with it, to hold joy and sadness together, to move forward without leaving your love behind.

Your grief becomes part of your story, not something to "get over," but something you grow around.

Be Gentle With Yourself

This is a gentle reminder to treat yourself with kindness. You never know which moment might bring you back to a memory or emotion still healing inside you. This time of year has a habit of magnifying joy and sadness.

And if grief feels heavy, confusing, or overwhelming, whether your loss is recent or many years old, you don't have to navigate it alone.

You're Welcome Here

You don't need to be "strong."

You don't need to have the right words.

You only need to be human.