The Space Between Who We Were and Who We’re Becoming
Grief is rarely a single emotion.
It shifts. It circles back. It rises without warning and settles just as suddenly. This week is about understanding these emotional waves so they feel less frightening and more familiar.
Why waves happen?
A loss touches many layers of your life — memory, identity, routine, relationships, even your sense of safety. Because of this, grief does not stay in one place. Different parts of you respond at different times:
sadness for what was lost
guilt for what you wish you had done differently.
confusion as you try to make sense of a world that has changed.
numbness when your heart needs a moment of protection.
anger when the loss feels unfair or senseless.
These emotions are not separate experiences.
They are all expressions of grief finding its way through you.
Waves are not setbacks.
It’s easy to believe that when a difficult feeling returns, you’ve gone backwards. But emotional waves are a natural part of healing. They show up when something inside you is ready to be felt — sometimes in small ripples, sometimes in strong currents.
A wave is not a failure.
It’s simply your heart trying to adjust to what has changed.
What to do when a wave arrives.
Rather than bracing against it, try meeting it with a bit of gentleness:
Name the feeling without judging it.
Notice where it sits in your body — tight chest, heavy stomach, restless hands.
Give it space instead of rushing it away.
Offer yourself a simple comfort — a breath, a warm drink, a brief step outside.
You’re not trying to control the wave.
You’re simply learning how to stay steady inside it.
The important truth
Every wave, no matter how overwhelming it feels in the moment, is temporary.
It will rise…
and it will fall…
and you will still be here.
Over time, as you learn the rhythm of your own grief, the waves become easier to recognize. You begin to understand what they’re asking of you — and how to care for yourself inside them.
This week’s invitation is simple:
Let the waves come.
Let them pass.
And allow yourself to feel without fear.
Grounding Affirmation
With each wave, I’m learning how to steady myself with quiet strength.