How long does grief usually last?

Recovery time is different for each person, but for most people, grief symptoms lessen between 6 months and 2 years after a loss.

In normal grief, symptoms occur less often and feel less severe as time passes. Along the way, many people have grief bursts, short periods of about 20 to 30 minutes of very intense distress. These are often triggered by reminders of the person, such as holidays, the anniversary of the death, or giving away belongings, and sometimes they happen for no clear reason.

Although many people share similar responses, there is no single typical grief response. Everyone grieves in their own way, shaped by their personality, culture, coping skills, and the support they have.

Most people work through grief and recover on their own, so normal grief may not need treatment. But if grief reactions are serious or do not improve over a long time, treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy can help. Reach out to your care team, a counselor, or a bereavement program if grief feels like more than you can carry.