Bringing Colour to Grief: A Journey Toward Vibrancy After Loss
Grief can feel like a shadowed world, stripped of colour. When we experience a deep loss, it's as if life shifts to monochrome, with the brightness that once filled our days seeming permanently out of reach. But grief, though painful, doesn’t have to be colourless. In fact, bringing colour back to our lives can be an essential part of healing - a way of reconnecting with ourselves, with our memories, and with the beauty that still exists around us.
Our goal is to bring a little bit of light, vibrancy and colour back to someone’s darkest days. A beautiful colour can really make you smile, invoke an emotion or a memory of brighter days.
Why Does Grief Feel Colourless?
In the early stages of grief, we often feel numb, lost, and disoriented. In the initial shock and disbelief phase, where we might feel disconnected from the world. Our minds are focused on survival, and our bodies might feel heavy or dulled.
But just as life itself isn’t static, neither is grief. Grief is a journey, and as we move through its stages, we find opportunities to invite colours back into our lives. Each hue, each stroke, each bright moment is a small victory and a step towards healing.
How Colour Heals: The Psychology of Hue in Grief
Colours can profoundly affect our emotions, often in ways we don’t consciously realise. Greens and blues have calming effects, while yellows and oranges can spark energy and hope. Here’s how different colours can play a role in your journey through grief:
Blue for Peace and Reflection
Blue is associated with peace, calm, and depth, offering a space for contemplation. Engaging with shades of blue—whether through painting, wearing blue tones, or spending time near water—can encourage moments of introspection and help create a serene foundation for your healing journey.Yellow for Hope and Warmth
Yellow represents hope and resilience and reminds us of the sun, a constant that rises each day, even in the darkest times. We use images of the sun a lot in our cards for this exact reason. This colour can be a gentle reminder to seek moments of light and warmth, no matter how small.Green for Rebirth and Renewal
Green symbolises growth and renewal, mirroring the way nature continually regenerates itself. Bringing green into our lives—whether by spending time in nature or tending to a houseplant—can remind us that healing, like nature, is a cycle. It’s slow, organic, and often uneven, but it’s happening.Purple for Spiritual Connection
Purple has long been connected with spirituality, intuition, and a sense of higher purpose. For some, loss prompts a journey inward, exploring deeper meanings and spiritual truths. Purple can serve as a bridge to this exploration, helping you find comfort in the unknown.
Embracing Life’s Full Spectrum Again
Bringing colour back into grief isn’t about erasing pain or rushing toward “feeling better.” Rather, it’s an invitation to honour the full spectrum of your experience—the good, the painful, and the transformative. When we reintroduce colour, we make space for memories, healing, and new beginnings.
Grief doesn’t need to be a dark hole that we get lost in. Instead, it can be a canvas where the colours we choose each day reflect our courage, our love, and our journey back to ourselves.
After all, flowers are a common gift for those grieving, a colourful way to brighten someone’s day – why shouldn’t the cards we send do the same?