Understanding Loss Across Personal, Professional, and Societal Systems
A compassionate lens on how grief touches every part of our lives
Samantha Mitchell, LCPC-c • Art of Awareness
Grief is often most recognized in the context of death, but in reality, loss is far more complex and multifaceted. It moves through every part of our lives; our identities, relationships, bodies, communities, and even our professional roles. At Art of Awareness, we believe that expanding our understanding of loss helps us approach both ourselves and others with more compassion. Grief is not just an emotional reaction; it is a deeply human response to change and, often, to love.
What Counts as “Loss”?
Loss is not limited to bereavement. It can emerge during transitions that reshape how we once understood our world. These may include:
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Changes in relationships
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Shifts in identity or role
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Career transitions
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Illness or disability
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Cultural or community disconnect
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Worsening safety, housing, or stability
When something meaningful changes or ends, internally or externally, grief may arise. Recognizing this broad definition helps normalize what many people experience, yet often doubt or invalidate within themselves.
There Is No Single Way to Grieve
Grief does not follow a timeline or staged process. It may be fluid, cyclical, or unpredictable. It may show up through:
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Numbness or overwhelm
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Irritability or anger
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Sadness, longing, or disorientation
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A desire to retreat, or a sudden need for closeness
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Difficulty with focus or daily tasks
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Fluctuations in appetite or sleep
There is no “right” way to grieve. However grief manifests, it is valid.
Anticipatory and Complicated Grief
Some grief begins before something ends. Anticipatory grief often occurs during illness, decline, or major pending transitions. In these moments, we grieve what we know is changing.
Complicated grief occurs when grief remains prolonged, intensely disruptive, or difficult to integrate over time. This is a reflection of the depth of attachment, meaning, and impact of what was lost. Therapeutic support may be helpful when grief feels unmanageable.
“Normal” and Disenfranchised Grief
Many people worry their grief is “too much” or “taking too long.” The truth is that so-called “normal” grief often shifts and softens with time but does not fully disappear. There is no expiration date on love or longing.
Disenfranchised grief, however, is grief that society tends to minimize or overlook. This may include:
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Breakups
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Loss of a pet
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Nontraditional or private relationships
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Miscarriage or difficulty conceiving
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Estrangement
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Losses that are unseen or unspoken
When grief is invalidated, it does not go away, it simply goes inward. All grief deserves recognition and care.
Collective, Traumatic, and Ambiguous Grief
Some forms of grief extend beyond the individual.
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Collective grief occurs when communities experience shared loss or trauma.
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Traumatic grief emerges when loss is sudden, violent, or accompanied by shock or fear.
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Ambiguous loss occurs when closure is not possible, such as dementia, the disconnection of a relationship without finality, or when someone is physically present but emotionally unavailable.
These types of grief often carry layered complexity that may benefit from additional therapeutic support and intentional space.
Grief Within Systems
Grief is shaped by more than personal experience; it exists within the systems we live in. These systems influence how freely we express grief, what resources we have access to, and whether our experience is met with support or resistance.
Understanding this contextual view encourages self-compassion and creates pathways toward empathy in our relationships and communities.
How Grief Moves Through Systems
Microsystem (our closest environments)
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Emotional fluctuations
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Shifted interpersonal dynamics
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Reduced motivation or energy
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Physical symptoms such as fatigue or restlessness
Mesosystem (where environments intersect)
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Difficulty balancing work and life demands
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Tension moving from one relationship into another
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Gaps in support from overlapping parts of life
Exosystem (indirect influences)
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Workplace policies related to time off
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Availability of therapy, financial stability, childcare
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How media portrays certain types of loss
Macrosystem (societal values and culture)
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Cultural norms around what grief “should” look like
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Messages about endurance, stoicism, or privacy
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Presence – or absence – of rituals honoring loss
Chronosystem: Grief Over Time
Grief evolves over time. It may resurface during anniversaries, transitions, or developmental milestones. It may soften and yet still reappear unexpectedly.
Healing and hurting can coexist. This is a part of being human.
A Compassionate Closing
Grief is not something to outgrow or “get over.” It is a reflection of connection, meaning, and care.
You are allowed to move through grief in your own time, at your own pace, with support if you need it. You do not have to carry it alone.
About the Author & Support
This clinical education article written by Natalie O’Donnell from the clinical training material created by
Samantha Mitchell, LCPC-c
Art of Awareness
If you are navigating grief and would like support, our therapy team is here.