@Aalia 11 November 2022 more from that month

At some point, people will begin to expect you to return to what they perceive to be a normal life. Actually, your life will never be normal again. You will learn to be pleasant, productive, and functional but things will never be the same again because an integral part of what used to be you has been torn away. But....even in the earliest stages of feeling around for your land legs...the familiar moves and thought patterns of work can have remarkable therapeutic value. Whatever was your life's work before your loved one died can become the work that can save your life in the early weeks and months of grief. Again, you are the only one who knows the right timing for your return to work. You shouldn't make the mistake of going straight from the funeral to the office- the guilt for that ploy will catch up with you later. But neither should you take an indefinite leave of absence on the assumption that you will never be able to function again.