Coping With Grief: Why There Is No Timeline for Healing

Coping With Grief: Why There Is No Timeline for Healing

From Wonder In The Weeds by Dr. Cristie Ritz-King

February 25, 2026 · 44 min · Season 3 · Episode 16

About this episode

Dr. Cristie Ritz-King shares her personal experiences with grief and the absence of a timeline for healing after losing her parents.

In this deeply personal episode, I am opening up about my own experiences with grief and change. After recently emptying my nest and moving to Minnesota , I noticed how big life transitions can bring old losses right back to the surface. I lost my dad to cancer when I was four and my mom to cancer when I was a young mother myself. I share what it feels like to navigate parenting and big milestones without them , the frustration of feeling like society expects you to be over it by now , and why grief truly has no timeline. I also talk about the "box and the ball" metaphor that helped me understand how the pain of loss operates over the years. Most importantly, I share how I intentionally look for the good things in life, even when circumstances feel incredibly unfair. What You Will Learn in This Episode: 00:00 Welcome to The Wonder and the Weed show 01:38 The reality of losing parents at a young age 06:09 Why grief has no expiration date or set timeline 19:41 The "box and the ball" metaphor for understanding grief 27:20 Practical coping strategies and giving yourself grace on hard days 40:30 How to intentionally look for the good after a profound loss

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Cristie Ritz-King

Topics covered

  • grief
  • healing
  • parenting
  • loss
  • mental health
  • coping strategies

Keywords

  • grief
  • healing
  • loss
  • parenting
  • coping strategies
  • mental health
  • box and ball metaphor

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Minnesota

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