Chapter 1: An introduction to grief

How grief may affect you

The grief expert says
Dr. MacKinnon speaks about how loss and grief are different for everyone.(3:22)Video transcript

How grief may affect you

Click on each of the boxes below to explore some of the ways grief may affect you.

You may have:

  • Conflicting feelings – Such as sadness and relief.
  • Intense feelings – That might surprise or shock you.
  • Unpredictable feelings – When you might feel you’re doing ‘okay’ and then suddenly feel knocked over by a wave of emotion.
  • Feelings of isolation – Even if you have people who care about you close by, feeling alone and lonely.


Grief changes us and grief changes over time. After a while it may take up less of our energy. This doesn’t mean forgetting the person who died. We carry their memory forward - remembering all the aspects of who they were–what we found most challenging and what we cherished most. We continue to have relationships in a different way with the people who were important to us, even though they’re no longer physically present.