Grief · Meaning
Continuing Bonds Worksheet
Relationship with the deceased, in a new form
Continuing bonds research overturned the old "let go and move on" model. Healthy grief maintains a relationship with the person who died — it just changes form.
Bonds I already have
- I still talk to them (out loud, in my head, in writing)
- I keep an object of theirs where I can see it
- I mark their birthday or death anniversary
- I ask myself what they would say
- I visit a place we shared
- I carry a value or lesson from them forward
A new bond I want to build — small, sustainable, mine
Presence, not haunting
A continuing bond is chosen and life-giving. If the relationship feels intrusive or freezes forward movement, that's grief that needs more support, not less bond.