“You support me when I falter, and give me strength to bear the pain of my past.
“He had a great life, and you were lucky to have him for as long as you did. Be grateful, and move on.” As though a great life lived makes it OK that that great life is now over.”
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
“It seems counterintuitive, but the way to truly be helpful to someone in pain is to let them have their pain. Let them share the reality of how much this hurts, how hard this is, without jumping in to clean it up, make it smaller, or make it go away.”
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
“Our culture sees grief as a kind of malady: a terrifying, messy emotion that needs to be cleaned up and put behind us as soon as possible. As a result, we have outdated beliefs around how long grief should last and what it should look like. We see it as something to overcome, something to fix, rather than something to tend or support. Even our clinicians are trained to see grief as a disorder rather than a natural response to deep loss. When the professionals don’t know how to handle grief, the rest of us can hardly be expected to respond with skill and grace.”
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
“Here is what grieving people want you to know: We love you. We still love you, even if our lives have gone completely dark, and you can’t seem to reach us. Please stay.”
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
― It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
“Let your pain stretch out, take up all the space it needs. When so many others tell you that your grief has to be cleaned up or contained, hearing that it has enough room to spread out, to unfurl, it’s healing. It’s a relief. The more you open to your pain, the more you can just be with it. The more you can give yourself the tenderness and care to survive this. Your pain needs space; room to unfold.”
― It's OK That You're Not OK
― It's OK That You're Not OK
Laura’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Laura’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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