I have heard that sentiment and spoken it myself many times over the years. What happens when we lose someone dear to us, get divorced, lose a job, a relationship, physical functions, a pet, a home or anything we love? In the beginning, we may feel supported by our friends and families, but eventually we find ourselves alone with our grief. Grief is an isolating experience that is difficult to process on our own. We may not want to burden our friends with our sadness. We might be tired of listening to our own thoughts about it. We also live in a society where we're expected to pick ourselves up, get back to our lives and move on. We all experience grief in a unique and personal way. There is no schedule for grieving, no standard of measurement for how long or how much is OK. People can grieve for years without ever making peace with their own feelings. You are the best judge of how long you will need. You know when your feelings are beginning to interrupt your life or your ability to care for yourself or loved ones.

You don't have to be a hero. Getting help when you're in pain can provide truly unexpected relief. While no one can take away your loss, having the support of a professional offers you freedom to talk about your feelings of pain, guilt, sadness and anger without judgement. Acceptance does not mean we are OK with our loss, but that we are OK with ourselves.