Grief’s Duration

  • There’s no correct duration for the grieving process. The time it takes is different for every person.
  • You will learn to adjust to living with your loss. Eventually, you will be able to draw comfort rather than pain from your memories.
  • As time passes, you’ll experience less frequent surges of grief or sadness.

Next Step

Learn about ways to cope with grief and begin to heal.

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“Grief lasts as long as it lasts.” Although this statement may not seem helpful to you, it is true. The grieving process is different for each person and each loss. Most find that intense grief eventually evolves into a “sweet sadness” that comes at times of remembrance. Pain over the loss is replaced with the acknowledgment that that the loss, and the person who is gone, continue to affect your life.

Many factors affect how long a person grieves, including age, maturity, personality, physical and mental health, coping style, culture, spiritual and religious background, family background, other stressors, and life experiences. The time spent grieving may also depend on how prepared a person was for the loss. 

After a significant loss, you may be consumed and overwhelmed by the grief reactions you are experiencing. In time, as the reality of the loss sinks in, and all the changes as a result of the loss have been experienced, you will learn to adjust to living with your loss. Eventually, even after significant loss, you will realize you are grieving less as you discover renewed energy in living. You will become less consumed by the impact of the loss and begin to draw comfort rather than pain from the memories.

In a sense, you are never “finished grieving.” With a significant loss, there will always be moments when you will remember the loss, and perhaps you experience some of the feelings of grief, as in the times of “sweet sadness” mentioned above. Fortunately, the time period between these surges will lengthen considerably as you learn how to cope with your loss. 

Next Step: Learn about ways to cope with grief and begin to heal.

Content shown was developed through a collaboration between AGIS and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.