It Doesn't Feel Real

They're gone. And it doesn't feel real.

You keep thinking they'll walk through the door. You reach for your phone to call them. Part of you knows they're gone - and part of you simply can't believe it. You feel numb when you thought you'd be sobbing. You can't concentrate, can't sleep, can't think straight through the fog. And somewhere underneath it all, a frightened question: Is something wrong with me? Am I grieving wrong?

Nothing is wrong with you. What you're feeling - the unreality, the numbness, the fog, the strange surges - is exactly what early grief does. It's shock, and it's your mind protecting you, and it does not mean you're broken.

Written with warmth and without a trace of false comfort, It Doesn't Feel Real is a gentle companion for the first days and weeks after losing someone you love - that surreal, disorienting stretch no one prepares you for. It won't rush you through "stages." It won't tell you how you should feel. It will simply sit beside you in the fog.

Inside, you'll find:

• Understanding for the shock, numbness, and unreality of early grief - and why none of it means you're doing it wrong
• Gentle words for the guilt, the anger, the fear, and the "grief brain" that makes everything hard
• Comfort for the sleepless nights, when grief hits hardest
• A chapter for those facing a sudden or traumatic loss, with no chance to say goodbye
• Help for grieving while you still have to function - back at work, caring for others
• Permission to grieve your own way, with no timeline and no rules
• Reassurance about when grief is simply grief - and when to reach for more support

You don't have to be strong. You don't have to have it together. You don't have to understand any of it right now. You only have to get through today - and this book will help you do just that, one gentle page at a time.

It doesn't feel real yet. It won't, for a while. And that's okay. You're not alone in the fog.