Grief Talk Podcast

Grief might be most commonly thought of as an emotional experience but it can also be an intense physical experience. In the first episode of our mini series - “The Anatomy of Early Grief” - we talk about the physical effects that grief can bring.

Sara breaks down the different nervous systems that our bodies have and their important functions. Susanna covers common physical side effects that early grief can cause like sleep and digestion issues. We share our candid experiences and how we cared for ourselves during that time.

As a note - this episode is not intended to be medical advice. We encourage you to seek professional medical care if you are experiencing prolonged or severe physical side effects that could be caused by grief.

Comparing types of grief and loss is unfortunately all too common in our culture. In a desperate attempt to relate to others, comparing losses can feel insensitive and competitive. In this episode, we cover what grief comparison and competition are, how they don't help grieving people, and what to do instead. We also talk about how all types of loss are valid, but not all losses are the same. We share personal stories of our experiences with the death of our brother and how people have responded to our grief.

As a note to listeners, we briefly talk about different ways people die in this episode including accidental death, illness and cancer, and suicide. Please listen with care.

In this episode, we read two excerpts from Megan Devine's book "It's OK That You're Not OK". You can purchase this book for yourself (we highly recommend it!) and learn more about Megan's platform at https://refugeingrief.com/book/.

The cheer and merriment of holidays can be especially challenging for people who have lost a loved one. In this episode, we offer ways to honor a lost loved one during the holiday season, and what to do with traditions you have held in the past. We talk about how it is totally fine to resent Halloween, feel ungrateful at Thanksgiving, and feel lost when you have one less person to buy Christmas presents for. We also give ideas of holiday practices to continue, stop, or start after losing a loved one.

One thing many people walking through grief encounter is questions. The questions people ask can catch us off guard, seem intrusive, or even inappropriate. In the first part of a two part series on questions, we are offering help to the grieving person who may not know how to answer some of the questions they are asked. We dive into some questions that we encountered after losing our brother that we struggled to answer. We give you practical ways to prepare for and respond to questions like:

“How are you?”

“What happened?”

“How can I help?”

You don’t owe anyone an answer or explanation in grief, but we want to help walk alongside those who need help formulating responses to frequently asked questions.

In this episode, we mention one of our favorite Instagram therapists, Tiffany Roe! Find her on Instagram at @heytiffanyroe.

Grief is uncomfortable. Our cultural response to seeing a grieving person upset is to say something to cheer them up. Although well-intended, many of the phrases used to try to lift the spirits of a grieving person can be hurtful and confusing. In this episode we discuss some common platitudes heard by grieving people and why they aren’t helpful. Some of the platitudes we discuss include:

“Everything happens for a reason.”

“They’re in a better place.”

“It was God’s plan.”

In this episode, we reference a helpful guide by therapist Whitney Goodman, LMFT. You can follow her on Instagram at @sitwithwhit.