How long will it take for me to heal from this grief?
Just like you need to recover from an illness or a broken bone, there's a recovery period to heal the wounds of grief. It may take days, weeks, months, years… Please be patient with yourself. There is no normal. You are not to compare your experience with someone else's or stand in judgment of yourself. Everyone goes through some semblance of the Stages of Grief. This is the only thing that is guaranteed. But you must go through the grief process in your own time, in your own way and at your own pace.
Love, Jack
Credits:
About this letter
This short letter is part of Jack McAfghan: Letters From Rainbow Bridge. It answers one of the most common questions people ask after losing a pet: how long will it take to heal from this grief?
What Jack says
Jack compares healing from grief to recovering from an illness or a broken bone, noting that there is a recovery period and that it may take days, weeks, months or years. He asks readers to be patient with themselves, reminding them that there is no normal and that they should not compare their experience with anyone else's or stand in judgment of themselves. Everyone goes through some version of the stages of grief, he says, but each person must go through them in their own time, in their own way and at their own pace.
Being patient with your grief
Grief rarely follows a straight line. Good days and hard days can alternate, and anniversaries or small reminders can bring feelings back. Gentle routines, time outdoors, talking with people who understand and, if you need it, support from a counselor can all help. There is no deadline for missing someone you love.
