Grief is something we will all experience, and it is all too encompassing. In the last week as I struggle to comprehend the enormity of losing my twin. I am aware it is made up of different emotions, but alongside autism dealing with grief is proving a little more difficult.

Not everyone is confused

When it comes to grief, not everyone is confused by it. There are many who understand why they feel what they feel, others may have their feelings compounded by guilt. But however, grief looks to you, it is important to remember not to draw comparisons on grief. No two people’s grief is the same.

Grief has its own trajectory

Grief has its own trajectory. There is no timetable through grief. We all experience different degrees of pain after loss and will go through our own stages of grief. If you are dealing with grief, it is important to deal with it, rather than deny or suppress it.

It was different grief with my parents

It felt and it was different when my parents both passed. It was a different relationship and my spiritual beliefs were enough for me to understand the process they would go through. I knew they would be 'spiritually' with me, just not physically with me and I was okay and comforted by that.

I was sad my life had changed. It was all too soon and I wasn’t mentally ready. My mum was too young and she'd had a hard life. My father was a lot older when he passed. It was more difficult letting go of ‘mum.’ My twin is 9 years younger than my mum when she passed, and at the time my twin commented on how mum was too young.

With my twin, it’s completely different…she is my twin.