Tonya M. Andrews, LPC, NCC, CAGCS

Most people expect grief to feel like sadness. They imagine tears, longing, and missing someone they love. While sadness is certainly part of grief, it is rarely the whole story. In my work as a grief therapist, I often hear people say: "I don't know what's wrong with me." "One minute I'm crying and the next I'm angry." "I feel relieved they're no longer suffering, and then I feel guilty for feeling relieved." "I don't even know what I'm feeling anymore." "What is wrong with me?" The truth is...

Sometimes grief doesn’t show up in the big moments. It shows up in the small ones. The song on the radio. The smell that takes you back. Grocery shopping. Folding laundry. Reaching for your phone… then remembering. These are called secondary losses. They are the quiet reminders of what life used to look like. They don’t seem significant to others, but they can feel deafening to the one carrying them. If you find yourself crying over something small, it’s not small at all. It’s grief. I am...