A month ago I lost one of my dearest and closest friends to suicide. With my friend's death, my social circle now consists of only one person, my husband. He is a wonderful man, but I know the weight of my grief is a heavy load for him. He now has to be "everything," and that is a stressful role for any one person to play.

Now that the most incapacitating part of my grief is slowly diminishing, my husband and my grief therapist are both encouraging me to broaden my social circle...do volunteer work, join local clubs, etc. I know I need to do this, but right now i find that the sight of other people disgusts me because they're not the one I lost!

Is anyone else finding it intolerable to be around people, especially new people, even though you know it will be good for you? My rational brain knows that no one will replace the person I lost and that i have to appreciate new people for their own qualities, but my heart just seems to immediately judge them as hopelessly subpar compared to the person who is forever gone from me.