Grief Takes Time — It Frees You but First It Hurts

Grief takes time and it heals…

Grief is a common experience and a powerful paradox.

It shatters you before it sets you free.

At first, it feels like a weight pressing down on your chest, making it hard to breathe. It can be all-consuming, unpredictable, and exhausting.

You may want to push it away, distract yourself, or pretend you’re fine. But the truth is, grief demands to be felt.

Yet, as painful as it is, grief is also a teacher. It strips away illusions, forces you to confront your deepest emotions, and reshapes you in ways you never expected. If you allow yourself to move through it, rather than resist it, grief can ultimately be a gateway to a new kind of freedom—one where you are more open, more present, and more in tune with what truly matters.

Grief the Teacher — 5 Ideas:

Here are five ways to navigate grief so it can ultimately free you:

1. Feel Everything – Don’t rush to “move on.” Let yourself cry, scream, and sit with the pain. Healing starts when you stop avoiding your emotions.

2. Find Expression – Whether it’s writing, art, music, or talking to a trusted friend, expressing your grief helps release the weight of it.

3. Let Go of Timelines – There’s no deadline for healing. Grief is not linear, and it’s okay and important to take as much time as you need.

4. Embrace Change – Loss changes you. Instead of fighting it, accept that you are evolving into someone new, shaped by love and loss.

5. Seek Moments of Light – Even in the darkest times, there are glimpses of joy. A kind word, a sunset, a memory that makes you smile—hold onto these moments. Savor them as the gifts that they are.

Grief isn’t just about losing someone or something; it’s about transformation. The pain may never fully leave, but it will soften. On the other side, there is freedom—the kind that allows you to live more deeply, with a heart that understands both sorrow and joy.

More help when grief comes…

Do you ever feel like change is coming at you too fast or like it just arrives, uninvited, out of the blue?

I’ve recently been working with a client who was blindsided by the sudden passing of a long-time co-worker. It’s turned her work life upside down and has also shaken her on a deep and personal level because this co-worker was the same age and also a good friend.

It’s brought up all kinds of big questions on top of grief and new work demands. The stresses and questions are piling up and she is feeling disoriented and anxious.

We’ve been working together on this for several weeks now. And today I shared a new time tool with her. I want to share it with you as well.

It’s titled How to Partner with Change and Aging. To discover more about it right now, you can click here.