Relief at loss: You're Not the Only One

Feeling relieved when someone passes or leaves

59 people have shared thoughts about this

I was awake at 03:14 again, staring at the popcorn ceiling and counting the little jagged shadows.

relief at loss

I let the phone ring. …

family obligation guilt

i just got off the phone with my son and hes finally signing the papers for the divorce tomorrow and honestly i should be sad or supportive or whatever but all i feel is this weird sense of GUILT… …

relief at loss

He’s been on my couch for eighteen months, just... …

relief at loss

Polyester. …

anticipatory grief

It happened today at the campus cafe, the one near the library that’s always way too loud and smells like burnt espresso and wet floor mats. …

emotional numbness

He was my mother’s second cousin or something and he worked at the same firm as me for twelve years but we only ever talked about quarterly projections and the coffee machine being broken in the… …

relief at loss

The funeral was a MASTERPIECE of suburban theater. …

personality masking

I’m sitting here in my car outside a 7-Eleven at 2am because I can’t go inside my own apartment yet—the silence is actually louder than the ringing in my ears from the site today and it’s making me… …

relief at loss

I watched Dr. …

relief at loss

Does anyone else still pay for a dead person’s phone bill? …

unresolved grief

I felt a sort of relief when Elias finally died last Tuesday. …

relief at loss

i was at hospice today visiting dr b because the cancer finally won or whatever and god its so weird seeing the smartest person i know lying in a twin bed looking like a piece of crumpled paper. …

unresolved grief

i do not miss the noise or the smell or the constant crushing weight of his failure just sitting there in the recliner looking like a younger version of my own mistakes. …

relief at loss

Bleach and that fake lemon spray they use to hide the smell of old people I guess. …

relief at loss

Is it normal to want to check your watch while your husband of forty years is being lowered into a hole in the mud?

relief at loss

And I feel like a total monster even typing that out because my husband literally died two days ago in that quiet hospice place. …

relief at loss

I’m looking at the exit sign and all I can think about is that I can finally go home and sleep without my phone next to my head like it’s a ticking bomb. …

relief at loss

anyone else just feel like a goddamn monster because the second his heart stopped i felt like i finally got my life back? …

relief at loss

Explore Related Themes

Anticipatory griefUnresolved grief

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I the only one who experiences relief at loss?▾
No — 59 people have shared anonymous thoughts about relief at loss on this platform. It's a common human experience that many keep hidden.
Is it normal to have thoughts about relief at loss?▾
These thoughts and feelings are more common than most people realize. By sharing anonymously, people often discover that what felt uniquely shameful is actually a shared human experience.
How can sharing anonymously help?▾
Research shows that expressing hidden thoughts — even anonymously — can reduce shame and help people feel less isolated. Seeing others share similar experiences normalizes what you're going through.

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