Grief has been a big theme over the past year, and it’s taken on many forms.

Whether mourning the loss of a loved one, the loss of normal life and routine, or the loss of a business, New Yorkers have been stricken with grief in many ways.

Rebecca Soffer, the co-founder of Modern Loss, an online platform that focuses on grief, told NY1 that many people may be feeling sad as they mark one year since the coronavirus reached New York City.

“It’s OK to feel completely off this week,” said Soffer. “It’s totally normal. This is grief. This is in essence like a ‘grief-iversary,’ and it’s worth going easy on yourself. Honoring it. Respecting it. And reaching out for help.”

Soffer said healing doesn’t happen without acknowledging the trauma. She said it's not just important on a personal level, but on community and national level.

Soffer also said employers need to stay mindful of grief among employees.

Soffer previously joined NY1 early on in the pandemic to talk about the unique suffering people felt from not being able to see loved ones in hospitals or morn them at funerals. 

“What we are being robbed of right now is the ability to say in-person goodbyes, not only during the end of life phase, but after the person dies, maybe only one or two people can go to a funeral or we have to put those funerals on hold, and it's excruciating,” Soffer said in April. “It can cause a lot of damage in the future."