How to Acknowledge Grief and Heal

We live in a culture that tells us to “keep busy,” and “move on” when loss happens. Productivity is praised, even in our most painful seasons. But grief doesn’t disappear because we ignore it—it waits.

And while it waits, it builds.

Imagine a bottle of pop. Now imagine shaking it—not once, but over and over again. Every day. Every week. Every year. You never open it, never let the pressure out. Then one day, you twist the cap. What happens?

It explodes. Everywhere.

Grief works the same way. We carry many forms of loss—some big and obvious, like the death of someone we love, and others quieter but no less real: a career change, a move, a friendship that fades, a child leaving home, watching our parents age. Every single one is a “shake” to the bottle. Without making intentional space to process them, the pressure builds until it spills out in ways we can’t control.

When we don’t acknowledge our grief, it doesn’t just sit quietly in a corner. It leaks into our relationships, our work, our health. Suddenly we’re irritable, exhausted, short-tempered, forgetful—or we feel flat and numb. We say we’re “fine” when what we really mean is, “I don’t have time to fall apart.”

The problem? Not making time to “fall apart” means we eventually fall apart everywhere.

A Simple Daily Practice for Grief

One of the most effective tools I give my clients is deceptively simple: Take five minutes every single day just for your grief.

That’s it. Five minutes.

At first, it might feel strange, even forced. You might sit there thinking, This is doing nothing. But over time, your body begins to recognize this small pocket of safety. And that safety gives your mind and heart permission to soften.

Your five minutes might include:

• Looking at photos or mementos
• Writing down a memory
• Breathing deeply and noticing how you feel
• Naming your losses—big and small—without judgment
  Allowing tears to come, or simply sitting in quiet reflection
  
  

A little time goes a long way. And in our overworked, overstimulated world, five minutes of intentional stillness is an act of rebellion—a refusal to let busyness dictate your healing.

Why We Resist What Heals Us

You’d think something this small and helpful would be easy to commit to—but we resist it. Humans often resist the very things that could restore us.

Part of that is biology: we are wired for homeostasis. The familiar—no matter how unhealthy—feels safer than the unknown. Slowing down to meet our grief is unfamiliar for most of us. And, it can feel uncomfortable. But on the other side of that discomfort? Relief, clarity and strength.

Busyness, on the other hand, is seductive. It shields us from pain—or at least distracts us from it. But distraction takes energy, and eventually, that energy runs out.

Trust the Process

Grief isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon without a clear finish line. In fact there often isn’t a finish line #harshreality. There’s no shortcut, no productivity hack, no “getting over it” by sheer force of will. But there is forward movement—and it starts with something as simple as five intentional minutes each day.

Give yourself that time. Even when you don’t feel like it. Even when you think it’s not working. Over time, those minutes become a lifeline. Not because grief stops mattering, but because you’ve given it a place to belong.

Want to Go Deeper?

If this practice resonates with you, imagine what could happen if you not only created space for your own grief but learned to hold that space for others.

Our Grief Support Specialist Training equips you with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to do just that—whether in your professional work or personal life. This is for anyone ready to challenge the “keep busy” culture and instead create places where grief is met with compassion and understanding.

Learn more about the Grief Support Specialist Training