Online Grief Therapy

The truth is, there’s nothing abnormal about how you feel. Grief can impact every part of your life, often in ways you might not expect:

• Your emotions might feel overwhelming and unpredictable. You could have days where you break down in tears, feel intense anger, or are consumed by confusion or fear.

• You may lose interest in things that once brought you joy or comfort, feeling detached from activities or people.

• It can feel as though you’ve become numb to everything around you, disconnected from both yourself and the world.

• Your mind might constantly circle back to the person or thing you lost, and it can feel impossible to stop thinking about them.

• It may feel isolating when others don’t seem to understand what you’re going through.

• Well-meaning comments from others might feel more hurtful than helpful, deepening your sense of loneliness.

• You might wish you could freeze time or turn back the clock just to have one more moment with the person you’ve lost.

• Guilt could creep in, even over things that others might not understand. You might regret things you said or didn’t say, or blame yourself for things that were out of your control.

• Feeling powerless in the face of such an overwhelming loss can create anxiety that’s difficult to shake.

• You might find yourself hesitant to trust or get close to others, fearing that anyone you care about could vanish just as suddenly.

Grief is more common than you might think.
In the United States, the experience of grief affects millions of people. In California alone, a significant portion of the population grapples with grief every year, and the numbers reflect a widespread need for support across all age groups. A survey by New York Life Insurance found that about 68% of American adults are affected by grief at some point in their lives. Many respondents expressed frustration that grief isn’t discussed more openly, leaving them to feel isolated in their experiences.

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The impact of grief varies depending on your age and life stage.
The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, greatly amplified the number of people dealing with loss.

Children and adolescents have been particularly impacted, with 1 in 13 children (about 7.7%) in the U.S. experiencing the death of a parent or sibling by the time they turn 18, according to research from Judi’s House/JAG Institute. Young adults (ages 18-34) often need more mental health support to cope with grief, as they navigate not just the loss itself, but the added pressures of growing independence, building careers, and societal expectations to "move on" quickly.

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As people enter middle age (35-54), grief often revolves around the loss of parents or peers, frequently compounded by the responsibilities of caring for both children and aging parents.

Older adults (ages 55 and up) are more likely to experience the loss of romantic partners and lifelong friends, which can have a devastating effect on mental health, contributing to depression and loneliness.