What Grief Is Not

"Grief is not a mental illness. It's not weakness. It's not a checklist to finish or a line you're supposed to move through. It's love—with nowhere left to go."

In this episode of Grieve That Shit, Sharon Brubaker, Certified Grief Specialist and founder of The Grief School, gets brutally honest about everything grief isn't.

For too long, society has treated grief like a disorder to diagnose, a problem to medicate, or a series of stages to climb. But grief isn't logical, linear, or tidy—it's wild, unpredictable, and deeply human. Sharon unpacks why labeling grief as depression or PTSD misses the truth entirely, and how our culture's obsession with "fixing" pain keeps us from actually healing it.

You'll hear the truth about what happens when you zig and zag through your pain, why falling apart is part of the process, and why crying, rage, and exhaustion aren't weakness—they're proof that you loved deeply.

Because grief isn't something you escape. It's something you integrate. It's the story of love that still lives in you, even when the person you loved is gone.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why grief is not a mental illness—and what it actually is

• The truth about the "five stages" and why they never applied to grievers

• Why grief isn't linear, logical, or something to "get over"

• How emotional chaos (crying, anger, numbness) is a normal part of healing

• The many ways we try to numb grief—through work, food, alcohol, or pretending

• Why facing your grief head-on is the only way through

Homework for You

This week, write this sentence at the top of a page:
"Grief is not…"

Then finish it five times, in your own words.

"Grief is not something I can control."
"Grief is not weakness."
"Grief is not my enemy."

Keep writing until the truth feels real in your body. You're not broken—you're human.

Resources + Next Steps

🎥 Get the Video Series "This Is Grief" — A powerful companion to Sharon's book that walks you through every truth she teaches in this episode, with reflective journaling prompts after each lesson.

📘 Read the Book "This Is Grief" — The definition Sharon wished existed when her nephew Austin died.

🧠 Join Study Hall at The Grief School — Weekly live sessions where you can ask questions, share stories, and find tools for healing.

👉 Access everything at clickhereforhope.com