Make Sense of Your Grief


The Early Days

The first days and weeks after losing a spouse or partner can feel like a blur.


Below, parents share their experiences and describe what helped.



The Fog

Parents often describe being in a "fog" for the first few months. This is common. It takes time for it all to sink in and to appreciate how much life has changed.


Getting through the day may feel a chore. As you listen to parents describe their experience, know that it won't always feel like this.



Understanding Your Grief

We often hear parents say that they don't know if what their grief is “normal.”  Most have never experienced such a loss before, and its natural to not know what to expect.


We find that parents cope better when they understand how grief works. There is a simple-to-understand model that accounts for your grief as a widowed parent, called the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement.



The model was created by Drs. Margaret Stroebe and Henk Schut.  Watch this 5-minute video to better understand the grieving process: