Finding your way after a bereavement

Has time moved on, even as your grief has stayed close, has it been more than a year since suffering bereavement, maybe many years of navigating a world that feels different—emptier, quieter, harder.

Maybe you’ve spent a long time just getting through each day. Maybe you’ve put your grief in a box to keep it safe, or maybe it’s still with you every moment, like a shadow.

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline. It doesn’t have neat stages that you “finish.” Instead, it changes shape over time—and your journey is uniquely your own.

If you’re reading this, maybe you’re at a place where you’re yearning for a different way forward or ready to build a life that feel less heavy—but it feels complicated, even impossible at times.

Here’s something important to know:
Wanting to find joy doesn’t mean you’re forgetting or betraying the person you lost. It means you’re learning to live with your grief, not beneath it.

Finding happiness after bereavement doesn’t mean erasing the pain. It means allowing yourself to feel both—the sorrow and the moments of light—in whatever way feels right to you.

This process can be confusing and often times lonely. You might feel guilt for smiling, or fear that happiness won’t last. These feelings whilst normal can be very uncomfortable.

What can help is having someone by your side—a compassionate guide who understands that grief is not just about loss, but about rebuilding life in a new way.

Counselling can provide a safe space to explore your feelings, honuor your loss, and gently open the door to joy again—on your terms, at your pace.

If this feels like your next step toward reconnecting, to living your life and working towards a new form of understanding, you don’t have to do it alone.