It's been fourteen months since your mom died. At work, someone says it's great to have you "back to normal," and you smile because there's no easy way to explain that you cried in the parking lot that morning. The group chat stopped asking how you're doing around month three. Sunday afternoons, when you used to call her, still feel like a hole in the week.
Being stuck in grief means the pain of a loss stays sharp and keeps getting in the way of your life long after the people around you expect it to ease. Part of what makes it so hard is the loneliness that comes with it, the sense that everyone else has picked their lives back up while you're still standing in the same spot. In this post, we'll cover what being stuck in grief looks like, how long grief can last, when it might be prolonged grief disorder, and what helps when you feel left behind.
