Navigating Grief in Indian Families: Healing Your Own Way

Grief is universal—but how we grieve is deeply shaped by our families, culture, and social expectations.

In Indian culture, grief is often acknowledged during rituals and ceremonies, but after a few days or weeks, people expect you to “move on.” But grief doesn’t work like that.

While some find comfort in tradition, others may feel lost, numb, or even silenced in their grief. It doesn’t follow a timeline. It doesn’t disappear after a funeral. And it certainly doesn’t get smaller just because the world has moved on.

This blog is for anyone who has ever wondered, “Why am I still feeling this way?” or “Why does no one talk about this?”—especially within the context of Indian family dynamics.

Whether you’ve lost a loved one, ended a relationship, experienced a miscarriage, or even had to let go of a dream or identity—grief is a natural and human response to loss.

What Does Grief Look Like?

Grief isn’t always loud or obvious. It doesn’t always mean crying or isolating yourself.

It can look like:

• Being irritable or angry for no clear reason

• Feeling numb or detached from daily life

• Losing interest in things you once enjoyed

• Having trouble sleeping or eating

• Feeling guilty for being okay—or not okay

• Struggling to concentrate or make decisions

• Feeling like time has slowed down or sped up

Sometimes, you might not even realise you're grieving. You just feel "off" or like something's missing. That, too, can be grief.

Types of Loss That Can Cause Grief

While the loss of a loved one is the most commonly recognised form of grief, there are many other kinds of loss that hurt deeply, such as:

• Breakups or divorce

• Loss of a job or career dreams

• Moving away from home or country

• Estrangement from family

• Loss of safety, identity, or health

• Being cut off from a community or support system

• Collective grief, such as during the pandemic or social tragedies

All of these can bring up emotions of sadness, anger, confusion, emptiness, and even relief. These feelings are not wrong—they're valid and worthy of attention.

Why Grief Can Feel So Overwhelming

Grief changes your relationship with the world. It makes you question things you once took for granted—like safety, permanence, or meaning.

In India, many people grieving are also expected to take care of others, uphold social duties, or "stay strong." But being strong doesn’t mean suppressing your emotions. Sometimes, strength is in allowing yourself to feel, fall apart, and ask for help.

Unprocessed grief doesn’t just go away with time. It can quietly turn into chronic sadness, irritability, physical health issues, or emotional numbness.

Healing from Grief: It’s Not About Forgetting

Healing from grief doesn’t mean forgetting the person or the experience. It means learning how to carry it differently—with more gentleness, more understanding, and less pain.

Here’s what healing might look like:

• Giving yourself permission to feel your emotions—without guilt

• Talking about your loss in safe spaces

• Making meaning from the experience in your own way

• Reconnecting with small joys without feeling disloyal to your loss

• Learning to live with both the love and the longing

Healing is not linear. Some days, you may feel okay. Other days, a smell, a song, or a festival may bring back a wave of pain. That’s okay. You’re not “going backwards”—you’re just being human.

How Therapy Can Support You Through Grief

You don’t have to grieve alone. Grief therapy or working with a therapist in a supportive space can help you:

• Make sense of what you're feeling

• Move through guilt, anger, or regret without judgment

• Explore the impact of loss on your identity and relationships

• Learn tools to cope, express, and rebuild

• Honour your grief while also learning to live fully again

In therapy, there’s no pressure to be “okay.” There’s just presence, understanding, and space to heal in your own way.

If you’re grieving right now—no matter what or whom you’ve lost—please know this: You are not weak. You are not “too emotional.” You are not behind.

You are navigating one of the most painful and profound parts of being human. And you deserve all the care, support, and softness you need to get through it.

Want to talk to someone?

If you're navigating grief and looking for support, I offer online therapy in a safe, non-judgmental space. Whether it’s recent or long-standing grief, together we can gently hold your pain and work toward healing. Book a session here: https://forms.gle/RN35nWxULpnZ4fhHA

📩 Reach out at entwinedwellbeing@gmail.com

🕊 Healing is possible. And you don’t have to do it alone.