Podcast

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.

As Journey to Grateful grows its community I realized some may not fully understand why the title of this podcast has been chosen. I explain the thought process behind the name of the podcast and encourage everyone, no matter their experience, to find the grateful in their lives. Grief is a lengthy journey, one which can become an integral part of your life for the foreseeable future. Finding your "grateful" through your journey can help to ease the pain while providing you with solace and comfort. Listen as I explain how looking to gratitude has helped me and my wife before me. 

When experiencing and navigating grief there are times when you might wonder if you're doing it right. This Growing Through Grief Series episode quickly addresses that question not only with a direct answer but also explores the many additional aspects of how your grief will be different than someone else's grief. Join me as I discuss my experience with this exact question and what I've heard from many others. As we walk down our path of grief, there will be times you wonder how everyone else is dealing with specific areas of their journey, today we examine a few and open a discussion for you to share yours.

Welcome to Part 2 of the Ten Surprises of Grief episode. As I've said before, through my grief journey, I've experienced many aspects of grief that have surprised me. I've also discovered more surprising experiences others have had with family or friends which became a large reason I began this podcast. It has been important to demystify the grief journey and shine a spotlight on misconceptions related to grief which I believe is important for every one of us to understand. Join me as we discuss the last 5 items of the Ten Surprises of Grief that will, for some, come as no surprise and for many will be enlightening as they navigate their grief journey.