Grief doesn’t follow a straight line. Sometimes it feels like sadness, but other times it’s numbness, anger, anxiety, or even guilt. You might be going through the motions and wondering why this loss still hurts so deeply—long after others expect you to be “okay.”

Grief during the holidays isn’t just about sadness. Sure, there might be tears when a favorite song plays or when you pull out that one ornament. But grief can also look like anger when someone says the wrong thing or a deep ache when everyone else seems so joyful. Sometimes it’s just plain exhaustion from pretending you’re okay when you’re not.