“The mind of man works with strangeness upon the body of time.” — Virginia Woolf
Grief transforms how time feels. Hours stretch endlessly. Minutes can disappear without notice. Parents who lose a child often experience days that feel both frozen and rushing. The mind struggles to make sense of moments. Memories mingle with present pain. The past feels close yet unreachable. The future may seem impossible to imagine. Time bends and warps beneath the weight of sorrow. The mind, confused by loss, tries to hold onto fragments of what once was. The strange interplay between mind and time creates a landscape unfamiliar and disorienting.
The body carries grief in unexpected ways. The mind’s confusion spreads through the heart and muscles. Sleep can become elusive. Energy may drain without warning. The mind’s strange work shapes how the body endures each day. Some moments bring sharp clarity, while others blur into numbness. Parents in grief must allow themselves grace amid this confusion. Accepting the strange rhythms of time and body offers a way to live alongside pain. Healing does not mean restoring normal time. Healing means learning to move gently through this altered experience.
Understanding grief’s strangeness can foster patience. Time no longer follows predictable patterns. The mind and body need space to adjust. Grieving parents can find comfort in small, steady moments. Watching a sunrise or hearing a bird’s song can anchor the heart. The strange workings of mind and time need not isolate. Connection with others and self-compassion help ease disorientation. Each day lived in grief brings a fragile kind of strength.
Thought for today: Notice how grief shapes your sense of time. Offer yourself patience as your mind and body adjust to loss.