Category: relationships
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Why Grief Coaching?
Grief hurts, but that doesn’t mean feeling grief and pain are wrong, despite what so many people may convey to you through words or actions. So often, we put on a mask to hide our true feelings to protect the people closest to us and, even more tragically, to protect ourselves from the people closest…
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Mending the Past and Changing the Future by Healing Yourself in the Present
In a recent We Can Do Hard Things podcast episode, Kaitlin Curtice says, “Our healing is directly connected to those who came before and those who will come after.” Many cultures share an understanding that the “sins of the father” gets passed down through the generations. In practical terms, violence, substance abuse, and absence are…
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Broken Glass Wisdom
“You see this goblet?” asks Ajahn Chah, a Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put…
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What is “Disenfranchised Grief” and do you have some?
When we think about grief, we often think about the death of someone we or someone we know cared for, but did you know a person does not have to die in order to experience grief? Disenfranchised Grief is defined as “grief that is not usually openly acknowledged, socially accepted, or publicly mourned.” Because Western…
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“Be Curious, Not Judgmental”
Despite frequently being misattributed to Walt Whitman in pop culture, this quote stands alone as profoundly good advice. In a recent reference, Ted Lasso uses the quote as an important lesson about the assumptions we make about others and their consequences. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the whole show and certainly important advice…
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Jesus Wept. Why Can’t We?
In the US, when someone we love dies, there are a myriad of ways we convey the death of a person to those around us: They “passed on.” They are “no longer with us.” They are “in a better place.” It’s all very sterile and removed from the reality of death. The way we speak…
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Mother’s Day- It’s Complicated
A lot of money and energy is spent on and around Mother’s Day to promote the celebration of mothers. When many think about Mother’s Day, images of breakfast in bed and presents surrounding a grateful and gracious matriarch come to mind. It’s the one day universally recognized as the day moms don’t have to cook,…
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The Problem with “But it’s not as bad as…”
We’ve all said it. We’re struggling over something and we’re feeling it, but instead of allowing ourselves to sit in the feelings, we remind ourselves that we shouldn’t be complaining. After all, this other person we know (or don’t) is going through something far worse. Right? What we’re actually doing when we normalize this comparison…
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What We Can Learn from “Dancing Stones”
Modern architecture, with all our advanced technologies, can be a wonder to behold. Cantilevered structures seemingly defy gravity as they sit hanging off mountain sides or jutting out, mid-air, over crashing ocean waves. But the wonder quickly fades in the wake of natural disasters. Throw an earthquake into the mix and those structures are left…
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Grief Rituals as a Way to Stay Connected to Your Loved One
Long after the funeral/celebration of life, we continue to love our loved ones. Engaging in grief rituals allows us to acknowledge our loss and continue to connect with that special person. Research has also shown a decrease in depression and anxiety for those who participate in grief ritual on special days. Here are some ideas…
Lionheart Grief Coaching 