How do I know if my grief after my parent's death is normal or depression?

Mirabai knew something about the difference between sorrow and despair. Grief is the love with nowhere to go—it moves through you in waves, sometimes sharp, sometimes gentle. You might cry unexpectedly, feel their absence in specific moments, notice their absence in the kitchen or their chair. That's grief doing its work. Depression often feels more like a fog that doesn't lift. It's numbness masquerading as peace, or a heaviness that makes even small things feel pointless. You lose interest in things you once loved. Time doesn't help. Grief, though it ebbs and flows, gradually becomes something you can carry. There's overlap—and that's real too. Grief can deepen into depression, especially if you're isolated or if your parent's death stirred up older wounds. The examined heart, as Mirabai practiced, means checking in with yourself honestly. If you're functioning—eating, sleeping, connecting with others, even in small ways—you're likely grieving. If weeks pass and you can't get out of bed, if thoughts turn dark, if you feel nothing at all: that's when to reach out to a therapist or counselor. Grief needs witnesses. Sometimes it needs professional ones.