15 years to the day tomorrow since my Dad died suddenly, mid-MTB ride, from undiagnosed heart condition.
Its actually fairly straightforward to get through the first few weeks by keeping busy. But like you I lost a bit of pep for the year after, without really realising it. In my case, i was pretty traumatised by the events of the day. Also because of the nature of my relationship, i couldn’t openly grieve at home because i felt it distressed my other half. I also felt responsibity for the fact that it happened “on my watch” – intook my Dad out hiking and dudn’t bring him back. This meant i dudn’t feel that confirtabke venting to to my Mum or brother.
It wasn’t until my relationship nearly failed due to my being on autopilot for the best part of a year that I realised there was something wrong. Luckily at that point I got to break out of my rut and get some new experiences on a 3 week work trip out of the country.
So, to answer your question, yes – it is normal to have a non-specific, not acutely-painful greyness descend.
It seems like you’re doing all the right things….exercising, getting out and about, socialising, and admitting to yourself that you’ve been affected. This place is a great place to share. Just give yourself time, and perhaps some kind of tranformative experience to get out of your own head…