Podcast

This episode promises to provide you with a better way to understand yourself as well as others. It will help you identify why some friends may shy away from those hard subjects, while others dive in and have always been by your side. We identify key traits to find within yourself that can offer up a better understanding of how you feel, interact, process thoughts and emotions, and much more. I chat with my friend and Life Coach, Angie Robinson, about the people who support you, how to best support others, and we introduce why you might want to choose a word of the year for 2022. Come along for the discussion and see all you can learn and how it can relate to your grief journey. 

Forward motion in life is important, however, with loss comes the overwhelming sense of moving forward an impossibility. As with any challenge in life, taking one step at a time is the best way to gain enough momentum to move forward, no matter the pace. So the question remains, how does one take those steps forward? Although the answer is not an easy, one-size-fits-all solution, it does require the same basic foundation no matter what your loss; support, inspiration, and determination.

As we adjust to the new year ahead we see January as the start of something new. For those who are on their journey with grief, each month, each week, and for many, each day can feel the same, however, with the start of something much different. Not necessarily the promise of something new. To "Begin Again" becomes a daily aspect of your new life with its own peaks and valleys. Today we discuss a few ways to adjust your mindset to approach the new year while on your journey with grief. Also, in this episode, we reveal the date for the upcoming Journey Forward Retreat and discuss details of what you can expect at this all-day retreat!

During this time between Christmas and the New Year, we often find ourselves reflecting back on the previous year. Taking stock in our successes, our failures, and the things that have affected our lives. Happiness is usually another measuring stick we use to establish the tone of the year that has come to an end, but when you are grieving, happiness, is at best, fleeting. Join me in this episode as I chat with my friend, Crystal Steers of the Chasing Happiness podcast. Her insights, mindset, enthusiasm, and overall focus on the happiness we live intentionally are refreshing and inspiring. 

During Christmas, the joy and festivities presented by so many can be daunting to someone who is on their journey in grief. With the world tilted toward holiday cheer and everything merry, adding grief to this anxious time of year presents to many a nearly impossible task. To have a Merry Christmas… as usual. In this episode, I discuss ways to shift your mindset to still have a good holiday season. For those supporting a friend or family member during grief, I discuss ways to help them through this difficult time of year.

After the loss of someone close, it is a common suggestion not to make any large changes in the first year. Good advice, however, when making changes anytime after loss, it is wise to understand that specific advice is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. As each experience is different, so too are the responses associated with that experience. When grieving, some may wait more than a year to clean out a loved one's closet while others may do so in the first few months. The question posed is often, which is best? That is solely determined by the one who is grieving. As long as you've taken into consideration your desire to make a change based on where you are on your grief journey and it makes sense for you, go ahead and make the change. Do so mindfully and purposefullly.

The holiday season is a tough time of year for many people, but it can be particularly difficult for those who are grieving. Grief is an individual experience that's different for everyone. Grieving the death of someone you love is never easy, especially during the holidays when memories are everywhere and traditions may not be observed in the same way anymore. Grief doesn't have to get in the way of enjoying your family or friends this holiday season - in this episode, I discuss some tips that have helped me cope with grief this Christmas.

In this week's episode, I explore the positive benefits of joining a bereavement group as well as helping you to consider engaging a counselor. Support and help, when dealing with a significant loss, can come from many sources. For myself and my family, our community, our friends, and our vast families have been our primary support system. Supporting us during the diagnosis of my wife's breast cancer through the difficult decision to stop treatment, our support was incredible. But there are times when even that support may not seem to be quite enough. Discover why a bereavement group may be a priceless resource for you, especially throughout the holiday season. When it comes to counseling, the stigma that used to exist is long gone and its benefits could be just the added support you are missing. Take a listen as I dive into these options as well as some life lessons from friends I hold dear to me even today.

Through each experience in life, there are times when our own perspective could use a boost or a second look through different eyes. This episode offers a glimpse of just that, a new point-of-view from my daughter, Karen. Although a shorter episode of the Growing Through Loss Series, Karen and I touch upon her perspective of the support of others while on her own grief journey. A viewpoint not only from another person but from a different generation provides a priceless opportunity and insight in a younger generation that deserves more credit than they receive.

Let me be clear, the title of this episode doesn't relate to an experience I've had or a specific experience from anyone I know. Instead, it's the subject of a written piece by John Roedel that a good friend shared with me this past week. It is so good and on point, I felt I had to share it. It's a lengthy piece, so I've decided to read excerpts with some thoughts sprinkled in, sharing why a particular passage may have touched me. I'm certain if you are new to your grief journey or if you are years into it, this episode will reveal things about grief that will make you nod your head. To those trying to better understand a friend going through grief, this will give you the insight you need to understand where we are and what it looks like from our perspective.