In this final and ongoing phase, you will discover that this is not closure. It simply means that you have regained abilities to function as you once did. You have learned to live your life with the loss and have adjusted your life accordingly.

This adjustment has allowed you to discover that you are:

  • Stronger
  • Different
  • More evolved
  • Happier
  • Joyful
  • Independent

This adjustment does not mean that you would have chosen your loss or that you ever wanted it. It merely means that you no longer have to fight it. You have accepted it in the sense of learning to live with it as an inescapable fact of your life.

The following are some criteria for reconciliation:

  • Return to regular eating and sleeping patterns
  • Capacity to enjoy experiences
  • Ability to establish new and healthy relationships
  • Ability to plan for your future
  • Ability to recognize that you have survived