Podcast
GRIEF: Let's Make Sense of This Sh*t
Hosted by Dylan · EN
This show is for adults in active mourning who want gentle, 5-minute grief rituals when loss feels overwhelming—morning dread, bedtime waves, guilt loops, or "I can't function today" fog. We own grief, loss, bereavement, mourning, anticipatory grief, disenfranchised grief, and death-specific situations. We reposition away from generic "healing journey" and anxiety/CPTSD overlap: every title leads with Grief/Loss/Bereavement, never bare grounding or breathing. We validate without toxic positivity and never impose timelines ("stages by month three"). We never replace grief counseling or crisis support. --- Topics include: Grieving. Audio for this show is produced with AI assistance. Episodes are researched, scripted, and reviewed for accuracy before release.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support.
48episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Grief Anniversary Week: Gentle Plan for Hard Calendar Dates
2d ago00:26:47Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we gently explore how anniversary dates tied to loss can stir up unexpected waves of sadness, anger or fatigue even years later. If a tough calendar date is approaching or already here, you are not alone in feeling the weight return. This conversation offers a flexible, low-pressure approach to meeting these days with steadiness, honoring your personal rhythm without forcing any particular outcome or timeline for healing.What You'll Learn:• Anniversary grief resurfaces on meaningful dates without warning.• Reactions vary in intensity from year to year as normal.• The body holds date memories through physical sensations first.• These returns reflect ongoing connection rather than stalled progress.• No fixed pattern exists across different losses or individuals.Key Insights:• Select one small action for the time of day that feels hardest.• Adjust plans freely as emotions shift throughout the date.• Pause briefly to name feelings without adding judgment.• Keep the day lighter by honoring only what feels possible.• Allow rest and simple rituals to anchor you when waves arrive.Recommended Resources:• It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine• The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman• Center for Loss and Life Transition at centerforloss.comComing Up NextDiscover practical ways to nurture ongoing bonds with loved ones while creating space for new growth after loss.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
Transcribe →Grief Guilt After Death: 5-Minute Practice for What-If Thoughts
2d ago00:07:19Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we gently explore the heavy weight of guilt that often follows a profound loss, particularly the relentless what if thoughts that can pull you into exhausting mental loops. Whether these feelings arrived suddenly or have lingered quietly, this conversation meets you exactly where you are. We offer a simple, brief practice designed to notice those thoughts without judgment, name them softly, and create just enough space to return to the present moment. There is no pressure to fix anything or rush the process because grief follows its own timeline. You will learn a short sequence you can use whenever those spirals feel loudest, helping you reconnect with what remains steady right now. This episode acknowledges how common and painful these experiences are while providing a compassionate tool to navigate them with a bit more room to breathe.What You'll Learn:- How what if thoughts form persistent loops after a death- Why naming difficult thoughts out loud can loosen their intensity- The value of shifting attention from speculation to present facts- How repetition of simple questions interrupts rumination patterns- The role of body-based grounding in easing self-critical griefKey Insights- Speak the what if thought aloud to begin loosening its hold- Ask what you know for certain right now and listen patiently- Repeat the certainty question two more times for added anchoring- Rest your hand on your chest and take three unforced breaths- Return to this short sequence whenever guilt thoughts resurface laterRecommended Resources:- The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman- Self-Compassion resources and exercises from Kristin Neff- Grief Recovery Method website at griefrecoverymethod.comComing Up NextNext time we will explore another layer of grief with practical tools that build on today's practice for even more support during difficult days.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
Transcribe →Anticipatory Grief: What to Do When Loss Hasn't Happened Yet
2d ago00:10:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore anticipatory grief, those heavy feelings that arrive before any loss has happened. You may be carrying dread or uncertainty about what could come next, and those emotions deserve space right now. We introduce Grief Calm Breathing followed by a simple naming practice to meet the waiting without forcing anything away. This micro ritual helps you notice what you can control, name present emotions, and choose one small action. Listeners facing upcoming changes will discover a five minute sequence that interrupts the swirl of what if questions. The approach turns attention to the present moment so you stay connected to what remains possible today even when the future feels unknown.What You'll Learn:• Anticipatory grief carries real weight before any loss occurs.• Breathing creates a steady pause amid uncertainty and dread.• Naming three controls brings focus to the current moment.• Identifying present emotions reduces the intensity of swirling worries.• Choosing one small action replaces helplessness with concrete movement.Key Insights:• Practice Grief Calm Breathing daily to anchor yourself during waiting.• Name three things you control to build steadiness each morning.• Allow mixed emotions without judgment as they arise naturally.• Follow each name with slow breaths to let the body register it.• End with one doable action to carry forward into your day.Recommended Resources:• On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross• American Cancer Society anticipatory grief support pages• GriefShare.org online groups and toolsComing Up NextTune in for more ways to handle grief that shows up in unexpected cycles and deepen your daily sense of steadiness.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
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Grief Guilt After Death: 5-Minute Practice for What-If Thoughts
2d ago00:27:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore grief guilt after death and the what-if thoughts that often follow a loss. Many listeners carry repeating questions about final conversations or choices, wondering if a different action could have changed the outcome. These thoughts arrive because the bond still matters deeply, yet they form one common layer within mourning rather than a sign of failure. The conversation offers validation drawn from research and real stories showing how often survivors meet this experience. A simple five-minute practice helps name the thoughts gently, return to the breath, and create small space in the day without forcing them away. Listeners facing quiet moments of self-blame after someone dies will find steady, compassionate support here.What You'll Learn:• Guilt after death appears in over half of loss survivors according to studies.• What-if thoughts mark a normal part of mourning rather than something broken.• Guilt sits as its own distinct layer beside other grief feelings.• These thoughts do not erase the love or memories that came before.• Post-death guilt often attaches to concrete final moments or decisions.Key Insights:• Notice what-if thoughts without judging them as they pass by.• Allow the thoughts room to exist briefly during the day.• Name the thought plainly then shift attention to your breath.• Place a hand on your chest for a grounding moment of calm.• Return focus to the present task after acknowledging the loop.Recommended Resources:• GriefShare.org for local and online grief support groups• It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine• Meaning Reconstruction and the Experience of Loss by Robert NeimeyerComing Up NextNext episode shares ways to rebuild daily routines while carrying ongoing grief and offers listeners practical tools for steadier weeks ahead.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
Transcribe →Navigate Grief Anniversary Week: Gentle Plan for Hard Calendar
4d ago00:22:58Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore the challenges of grief anniversary weeks and how certain calendar dates can bring back intense feelings long after a loss. Listeners will find gentle ways to prepare for these hard days without pressure or judgment. The discussion acknowledges that your body may remember these dates even when your mind tries to move forward. We offer practical steps to create steadiness during times when overwhelm feels likely. This conversation meets you where you are in your unique experience of loss and time.What You'll Learn:• Anniversary weeks stir physical and emotional reactions years later.• The body often signals dates before the mind registers them.• Naming the approaching week reduces surprise and builds awareness.• Small daily actions spread preparation without overwhelming routines.• Personal stories show planning softens intensity over time.Key Insights:• Check in with your body each morning for early signals.• Write one short note to honor the connection daily.• Pause for a few breaths at set times in your routine.• Gather one supportive item like a photo or song.• Allow feelings to arrive without forcing any outcome.Recommended Resources:• Stress Response Syndromes by Mardi J. Horowitz• Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology studies on grief• The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell FriedmanComing Up NextDiscover another gentle approach to handling recurring grief triggers with fresh tools that fit your life.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
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Understanding Anticipatory Grief: What to Do When Loss Hasn't
4d ago00:28:15Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore the often overlooked experience of anticipatory grief, the mourning that begins before a loss occurs. Many listeners find themselves navigating a mix of dread and love while caring for someone with a terminal diagnosis. This waiting period brings unique emotional challenges that deserve recognition and support. We discuss how sadness, anger, and guilt can surface early, even as daily routines continue. Understanding this process helps validate feelings that arise long before any final goodbye. The conversation offers space for those living in the tension between presence and preparation, showing that these responses are common and meaningful.What You'll Learn:• Anticipatory grief starts before the actual loss takes place.• It blends emotional responses with practical planning at once.• Sadness and worry often appear during ordinary daily moments.• Feelings do not follow a straight or predictable timeline.• The process allows holding on and letting go together.Key Insights:• Allow yourself to name emotions without judgment each day.• Share small details with trusted people to ease the weight.• Take short walks when the mind feels overwhelmed or restless.• Balance planning tasks with simple moments of presence together.• Recognize that mixed feelings represent a normal human response.Recommended Resources:• National Cancer Institute materials on coping with anticipatory grief• Therese A. Rando's book How To Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies• Hospice Foundation of America anticipatory grief guidesComing Up NextDiscover practical ways to carry these insights forward as we examine how anticipatory grief shapes the journey after loss.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
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Understanding Grief Complicated Bond: Love and Pain After a Hard
4d ago00:29:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we gently explore grief from complicated bonds where love and pain coexisted in the relationship. Listeners often reach out sharing how relief appears next to sadness after such losses, creating a surprising mix that brings its own guilt. This episode names that specific grief for bonds that were never simple or easy. Whether with a parent, partner, or sibling, the mourning reflects the same tangled mix of gratitude and hurt. Your feelings deserve space even when they shift hourly and refuse to line up neatly. The truth is your grief is honest about the relationship that asked much and gave unevenly back. We sit with the reality that love and pain share the same story without needing to sort every emotion first.What You'll Learn:• Complicated bonds create grief with mixed emotions like sadness and relief.• The DSM-5-TR addresses persistent complex bereavement in tangled relationships.• Love and pain coexist without one canceling the other.• Relief after loss does not invalidate prior love or care.• Grief after hard relationships follows no single expected path.Key Insights:• Allow all feelings to exist without forcing them into order.• Remind yourself that mixed emotions do not mean you are broken.• Hold space for both missing the person and feeling lighter now.• Share your story with safe listeners who understand complicated bonds.• Breathe deeply and let grief stay as messy as the relationship.Recommended Resources:• Columbia Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University• American Psychiatric Association resources on prolonged grief disorder• "It's OK That You're Not OK" by Megan DevineComing Up NextIn our next episode we explore building supportive networks that honor every layer of your unique grief journey.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com.💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support
Transcribe →Explore Find a 5-Minute Practice for Making Space for Your Grief
5d ago00:06:54Tap to summarizeIn this episode, if grief leaves you holding back tears while juggling daily demands, this simple five-minute practice helps you create space for release without clearing your schedule. You'll discover how allowing emotions supports your healing journey, builds emotional wellness, and nurtures inner peace amid loss. Whether new to grief or deep in your trauma recovery, learn to honor your body's natural rhythm for greater self-worth and personal growth. What You'll Learn Release emotional tension in just five minutes dailyBuild safety for tears without judgment or pressureReduce overall stress by honoring your body's signalsStrengthen presence and calm during overwhelming grief wavesGain a repeatable tool for lasting emotional relief Key Insights Short timed windows prevent emotions from fighting for attention all daySoftening the body signals the nervous system it's safe to releaseSimple phrases redirect focus from stories back to sensationResearch shows tears can expel stress hormones from the bodyRepetition trains steadier responses to grief's unpredictable waves Recommended Resources Crying: The Mystery of Tears by William H. Frey IIThe Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der KolkIt's OK That You're Not OK by Megan DevineThe Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman Coming Up Next Discover how small daily rituals deepen your healing journey and support lasting inner peace after loss. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click HereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/grief-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6352946/support.
Transcribe →Navigate Keeper of Memories: Gentle Support for Quiet Loneliness
1w ago00:22:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore the quiet loneliness that comes from being the one who continues to remember a loved one after others have moved on. Many listeners carry memories of small details and daily moments that no longer surface in conversations with family or friends. This experience can leave you feeling isolated even when surrounded by people who shared the loss. We acknowledge how holding space for these recollections can feel both heavy and meaningful, especially when the connection ran deep. Together we sit with this often unnamed part of grief and recognize that it does not mean you are broken or alone in your heart. What You'll Learn: • How one person often becomes the keeper of daily memories others release. • Why memory splits create a secondary layer of absence after loss. • The role of disenfranchised grief in making private remembering feel hidden. • How ordinary objects can anchor recollections that no longer fit group talks. • Why varying paces of remembering leave some feeling out of step with others. Key Insights: • Set aside brief private time to revisit small memories without explanation. • Write short notes to yourself on meaningful dates to honor details quietly. • Join online spaces where others share similar habits without full stories. • Ask one trusted person for occasional check-ins about those memories. • Allow the gap to exist while finding personal ways to carry what remains. Recommended Resources: • The Other Side of Sadness by George Bonanno • Kenneth Doka's writings on disenfranchised grief • Journal of Family Psychology studies on sibling grief patterns Coming Up Next Tune in next time as we unpack how shifting family roles after loss can open new paths for connection and understanding that support long-term healing. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
Transcribe →How to Pre-agreed Signal: Gentle Way to Ask for Grief Support
2w ago00:08:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode, grief can suddenly strip away the ability to speak just when support feels most needed. Many listeners know the frustration of frozen words and scattered thoughts during intense loss. This practice offers a simple pre-agreed signal using a gesture or object to request quiet company without any explanation. The approach stays private between you and one trusted person and takes only minutes to set up in advance. It draws on established grief protocols to lower pressure during emotional freezes. By preparing the cue ahead of time you create a reliable path to connection that respects the unpredictable rhythm of mourning. The method helps bridge silence with presence rather than forcing speech that will not come. What You'll Learn: • How grief disrupts language centers in the brain during strong emotion. • Why pre-agreed signals reduce the need to form sentences. • The role of consistent gestures in bypassing verbal blocks. • How shared understanding protects privacy in support requests. • Ways small agreements lower isolation risk after loss. Key Insights: • Choose one trusted person and discuss the signal during calm moments. • Keep the cue simple such as texting a word or touching your wrist. • Test the signal once while emotions feel steady to build familiarity. • Focus only on presence without added explanation or solutions. • Allow the cue to evolve if another option feels more natural later. Recommended Resources: • The Dougy Center at dougy.org for practical grief support tools • Journal of Loss and Trauma for research on non-verbal coping strategies • Grief support networks listed through the National Alliance on Mental Illness Coming Up Next Tune in for another short practice that adds one more gentle tool for reaching out when grief interrupts daily life. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at grief@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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