Grief can be paralyzing
For some, grief doesn’t just mark dates on a calendar. It freezes time altogether.
The world keeps turning. People go back to work. Seasons change. But inside, it feels like the clock stopped the day it happened. You may find yourself replaying the moment again and again, unable to move forward, even when everything around you does.
The Weight of Stalled Time
This sense of being “stuck” is common in grief. It isn’t laziness or weakness — it’s the mind trying to process something overwhelming. The moment of loss feels so big, so defining, that it becomes hard to imagine a life beyond it.
Models of Grief
You may have heard of the “stages of grief.” In reality, grief doesn’t follow a neat path. It moves back and forth, sometimes with progress, sometimes with setbacks. The dual process model reminds us that grief is an oscillation — between loss and restoration, pain and living.
In both these models, neither is a neat straight line, and grief is very personal. You can find more information about the dual process model of grief here, and the 7 stages of grief here.
When Stuck Becomes Struggle
Grief is natural. Missing a loved one six months later is not just normal — it’s human. But when the sense of being frozen keeps you from living, or affects those around you, it may help to talk.
“Everyone else’s clock kept ticking. Mine stopped that day.”
Death or loss can shock you, and freeze you in the moment, but in time it’s grip usually lessens.
Finding Movement Again
Therapy can’t erase loss. But it can create a safe space to slowly move with time again — to carry memory without being trapped by it.
