We need to talk about the hierarchy of grief. You hear it all the time–no grief is worse than any other. I don’t think that’s one bit true. There is a hierarchy of grief. Divorce is not the same as the death of a partner. Death of a grandparent is notthe same as the death of a child. Losing your job is not the same as losing a limb. Here’s the thing: every loss is valid. And every loss is not the same. You can’t flatten the landscape of grief and say thateverything is equal. It isn’t. It’s easier to see when we take it out of the intensely personal: stubbing your toe hurts. It totally hurts. For a moment, the pain can be all-consuming. You might even hobble for a while. Having your foot ripped off by a passingfreight train hurts, too. Differently. The pain lasts longer. The injury needs recovery time, which may be uncertain or complicated. It affects and impacts your life moving forward. You can’t go back to the life you had before you became aone-footed person. No one would say these two injuries are exactly the same. . Megan Devine
About This Quote

The hierarchy of grief is a way to help people understand that loss is important in life, but each loss is different. There are many losses in our lives, but they all fit into the same category of loss. For example, if someone loses their spouse, friends, or even their job, all of these things are called “losses.” But they are all different in their kind of loss and how the person deals with it.

Source: Its Ok That Youre Not Ok: Meeting Grief And Loss In A Culture That Doesnt Understand

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  1. Acknowledgment--being seen and heard and witnessed inside the truth about one's own life--is the only real medicine of grief.

  2. Some things cannot be fixed; they can only be carried. Grief like yours, love like yours, can only be carried. Survival in grief, even eventually building a new life alongside grief, comes with the willingness to bear witness, both to yourself and to the others...

  3. What we all share in common - the real reason for this book - is a desire to love better. To love ourselves in the midst of great pain, and to love another when the pain of this life grows too large for one person...

  4. The reality of grief is far different from what others see from the outside. There is pain in this world that you can't be cheered out of. You don't need solutions. You don't need to move on from your grief. <span style="margin:15px; display:block"></span>You need someone...

  5. Every loss is valid. And every loss is not the same. You can't flatten the landscape of grief and say that everything is equal. It isn't.

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