How long does grief last?

Grief is a very personal and everyone grieves in their own way. There is no set duration of time that grief will last and depends on factors such as the type of relationship, the strength of attachment or intimacy to the person who died. Grief often comes in a wave like pattern. On occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, seeing loved one's photographs, seeing their belongings, thinking about last holiday you were together or even on hearing a song you may experience "trigger waves," which are usually accompanied by strong emotions. Holidays, the first anniversary, first birthday or any such occasion that were once happy times may now fill you with sadness. Please plan ahead how you want to spend that day, where, with whom…so that you are prepared for the day before it arrives. The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered……… Elizabeth Kübler-Ross