Month: February 2026

A woman with long hair, standing with her back forward, and the title is When your loss isn't witnessed on Journeyofsmiley

Disenfranchised Grief: What if Your Pain Has a Name?

2 Comments / Grief and Loss, Living Losses, Mental Health / By

In a previous post, I wrote about ambiguous loss – a type of loss that lacks closure. The kind that leaves you asking, Is this over? Or am I still waiting? It happens when someone is physically here but psychologically gone. Or physically gone but still deeply present in your mind. But there’s another layer …

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A person going up the stairs and the title is What if Grief doesn't come in Stages? on Journeyofsmiley

What Are the 5 Stages of Grief: What if They’re Not Linear?

3 Comments / Grief and Loss, Living Losses, Smiling though the pain - healing, self-care / By

Grief is often described in stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first introduced the Stages of Grief while working with terminally ill patients, but if you’ve ever grieved anything deeply, you already know this truth: Grief rarely follows a set order. Have you noticed how it never fits neatly into the boxes …

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