Loss can take many forms throughout a person’s life.​​

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Grief may stem from losses such as:

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• Death

• War and displacement

• Emigration

• Loss of safety or innocence due to childhood trauma

• Rejection

• Aging

• Break-ups

• Trauma

• Losing a beloved pet or animal companion

• Natural Disasters

• Friendship endings

• Abortion

• Leaving one's home country

• Suicide

• Major life transitions

• A friend or family member’s incarceration

• Divorce

• Giving up an addictive behavior

• Changes in medical status, ability, or mobility

• Estrangement

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These are only a few examples of the many kinds of loss a person may experience.

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Grief is deeply personal

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Grief is a person's reaction to their loss. The way a person experiences grief can be shaped by many different factors:

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• Personal history with loss, and with who or what was lost

• Nature of relationship with who or what was lost

• The meaning of that relationship

• Intergenerational experiences

• Culture

• Identity

• Family dynamics

• The systems and institutions surrounding them

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There is no “right” way to grieve

It is natural to:

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• Wonder if you are grieving the “right” way

• Feel confused by your emotional experience

• Feel numb or disconnected

• Wonder if you are overreacting

• Question whether your reaction means you do not care

• Feel you should "get over it"

• Wonder if you will always feel the way you do in reaction to the loss

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Whatever your experience may be, your grief is unique to you, and it is not "wrong"  — and that is where we can begin.