As I’ve been talking with folks about grief over the past few weeks, I’ve been tracking the different ways people see + experience their grief.

Some describe it as a prison cell or a deep, impossible-to-escape pit.

Or as a haunting presence that’s trying to suck the life out of them.

Or as a wall that’s impossible to climb or scale.

But each time we’ve slowed down enough to tune in to the grief and listen for what it has to say, we find something very different.

We find that grief often has simple + straightforward messages to share.

Messages like:

I’m here to get your attention + help you see the truth,

...to exhaust you so that you get the rest you need,

...to invite you to ground so that the healing can do its work,

...to anchor you in what matters most + what’s still here, even through the loss.

We find that grief is just trying to help us through devastating losses + hard changes as best it can.

That grief is an ally, not an adversary.

It's simply the healing + grounding energy that rises up in response to loss to catalyze flow, move feeling, orient us to what’s needed, and help us tell the truth.

It’s a source of support we can work with intentionally + strategically to go deeper, come alive, and find healing when the time is right.

So how might you begin to relate to your grief as an ally? As a benevolent force that's simply trying to help you come home to yourself?