So how do you know if you’re making progress on this messy journey called grief? I remember going through seasons where a trigger would wipe me out or tears would come from out of nowhere. I’d wonder if it was always going to be this way. I’m happy to tell you, thankfully, it won’t always be this way.

Are you making progress in your grief? Here are a few glimmers of healing you might be noticing now:

  • Sadness and sorrow are not the first thoughts on your mind in the morning.

  • Rather than sprinting away from a friend who’s experiencing adversity, you consider walking toward them to offer support.

  • You notice yourself having more smiles and fewer tears.

  • Your ‘grief brain” is subsiding. Clarity, focus, and energy are slowly returning.

  • You’re beginning to trust the process and believe that hope, healing, and maybe even new purpose are possible.

  • You’re saying yes to more things.

  • You’re starting to dream again about the future.

How about you?

While I don’t know where you are on your journey, I hope you’re starting to see some light sneaking into your days. If so, or even if you’re not there yet, take a few moments and write about it in your journal.

Excerpted from Beth Marshall’s book, Uncrushed. Purchase it here.

Read more from Beth on Open to Hope: Communicating Your Needs When Grieving – Open to Hope

Beth Marshall

Beth Marshall is a freelance journalist, speaker and author of two grief-related books. Grief Survivor, 28 Steps toward Hope and Healing; and A Time to Heal, a grief journal. After losing three close people in her life, Beth felt crushed and overwhelmed by the intense emotions of grief. As she began to write about her "uniquely awesome" family members, Marshall eventually began to smile again- and even laugh. Her hope is to help others discover joy-filled life after loss.

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