This artist captured exactly how grief feels, and we can relate

Grief is mostly unavoidable over the course of a life, and everyone handles it in a different way. However, there are certain universal feelings associated with it, too, and one woman has illustrated the grief process perfectly.

That woman is artist Mari Andrew. After her father died, she looked for an outlet to help her grieve. Naturally, her talent for drawing—and conveying emotions through it—came into play. We can definitely relate to the images she came up with, and you probably will, too. Check out some of the images below.

Here’s a to-the-point illustration about how the meanings of things shift after a loss:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXaVLyXALt0/?taken-by=bymariandrew

Here, Andrew addresses memories, and what happens to them after the person you shared them with passes:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQPl1MmgQ6l/

And while moving on is essential, it’s much easier said than done:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVCPSdtA1bK/?taken-by=bymariandrew

More than one person—especially our therapist—will stress the importance of self-care in the wake of a loss:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNRZhQOgN_g/

Though chances are, this is all we’ll be able to feel or think about:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMbPODUgNUF/

And healing will be challenging, to say the least:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUJo8zxApjH/?taken-by=bymariandrew

People will think we’re fine, but we’re usually far from fine:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTliwKZgt8X/?taken-by=bymariandrew

But along the way, we may find some things to help us out:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTJTQi7AASa/?taken-by=bymariandrew

Finally, Andrew reminds us to focus on the positives…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX5NH6-gtDY/?taken-by=bymariandrew

…and to have hope:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXDE-Z5gEnw/?taken-by=bymariandrew

We don’t know about you, but Andrew’s drawings were not only super relatable for us, but also made us feel better and less alone in our grief. For me in particular. I lost my grandma last year—she’d raised me and was my best friend—and it was the hardest thing I’d ever experienced. For me, writing about her, keeping her essence alive, going on nightly walks and mourning via a Coldplay concert in Chicago all helped me grieve. But I know everyone has their own grieving process. Still, Andrew’s drawings about grief could not be more spot on.

To check out more of Andrew’s Instagram drawings—poignant and comical and everything in between—on grief and other topics, you can do so here. I know we will.

[h/t: Huffington Post]