Podcast
GRIEF: Let's Make Sense of This Sh*t
Hosted by Let's Work This Sh*t Out · EN
Grief is messy, confusing, and at times, downright overwhelming. But you don’t have to navigate it alone. Grief: Let’s Make Sense of This Sht* is a podcast series designed to guide you through the complexities of loss with compassion, honesty, and a little bit of humor.
Each main episode dives deep into specific aspects of grief, from navigating the emotional rollercoaster to finding healthy ways to cope. We share real-life stories, research-backed tools, and practical strategies that you can apply at your own pace.
Alongside the main episodes, our “5 Mins Out” bonus segments offer quick, actionable tips for when you need immediate relief. Whether you're grieving a loved one, the end of a relationship, or any significant loss, this podcast is here to remind you that it's okay to feel however you're feeling—and that healing is possible, one step at a time.
💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛
If this podcast has helped you, consider joining our Supporters Club. Your support allows us to continue creating these important conversations around grief and mental health — conversations that are often too hard to find in today's world.
Mental health services aren’t accessible for everyone, and we know how isolating that can feel. By joining, you’re helping us keep this space alive, providing comfort, tools, and real talk to those who need it most.
Together, we can make sure that no one has to navigate grief alone.
Click here to join our Supporters Club and help us help more people.
We’re in this together. 💛
Each main episode dives deep into specific aspects of grief, from navigating the emotional rollercoaster to finding healthy ways to cope. We share real-life stories, research-backed tools, and practical strategies that you can apply at your own pace.
Alongside the main episodes, our “5 Mins Out” bonus segments offer quick, actionable tips for when you need immediate relief. Whether you're grieving a loved one, the end of a relationship, or any significant loss, this podcast is here to remind you that it's okay to feel however you're feeling—and that healing is possible, one step at a time.
💛 Join Our Supporters Club 💛
If this podcast has helped you, consider joining our Supporters Club. Your support allows us to continue creating these important conversations around grief and mental health — conversations that are often too hard to find in today's world.
Mental health services aren’t accessible for everyone, and we know how isolating that can feel. By joining, you’re helping us keep this space alive, providing comfort, tools, and real talk to those who need it most.
Together, we can make sure that no one has to navigate grief alone.
Click here to join our Supporters Club and help us help more people.
We’re in this together. 💛
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Explore a 5-Minute Practice for Guilt After Losing a Loved One
1w ago00:07:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore a simple five-minute practice designed to help ease feelings of guilt that often accompany grief after loss. Guilt can appear suddenly without warning, replaying past moments and sparking questions about what might have been different. This episode offers a gentle accessible tool using breath self-compassion phrases and mindful touch to soften that weight without judgment or pressure to change how you feel. Whether you are sitting quietly or in the middle of a difficult afternoon the practice meets you exactly where you are. It acknowledges that caring deeply is part of love and small consistent steps create space for relief. Listeners discover how naming guilt and pairing it with steady breathing interrupts self-blame cycles in a steady reliable way. What You'll Learn: • Guilt in grief signals deep care rather than any wrongdoing. • Naming guilt aloud reduces its emotional intensity over time. • Self-compassion phrases activate the body's natural calming response. • Timed breathing keeps the mind engaged without feeling overwhelmed. • Small daily repetitions build steadier emotional support gradually. Key Insights: • Begin with slow inhales for four counts and exhales for six. • Repeat the phrase I did the best I could on each exhale. • Place one hand on your heart as a steady physical anchor. • Exhale tension while gently releasing the weight of guilt. • Return to the practice without judgment whenever guilt arises again. Recommended Resources: • The Compassionate Friends at compassionatefriends.org for peer grief support • It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine • NHPCO caregiver grief resources at nhpco.org Coming Up Next Discover practical tools for expressing and moving through anger in grief with the same grounded approach. 📩 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 →Grief Waves Years Later: Gentle Support for Your
2w ago00:24:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode, grief can return in unexpected waves long after you thought the hardest days were behind you. These moments often arrive without warning, triggered by a scent, a sound, or even an ordinary afternoon light. You might feel like progress has slipped away when life around you seems steady again. This experience is common and natural rather than a sign of failure. We explore why these later surges happen and how they fit the ongoing rhythm of healing. Acknowledging these waves helps ease the isolation many feel when others appear to have moved forward. Your timeline remains your own and these feelings do not mean you are broken. What You'll Learn: • How grief oscillates between facing loss and handling daily life. • Why unexpected triggers surface months or years after the loss. • The role of continuing bonds in keeping connection with loved ones. • How Worden's tasks allow revisiting stages without signaling failure. • That waves reflect normal patterns instead of setbacks or regression. Key Insights: • Allow physical sensations to arise without immediate judgment or resistance. • Stay present in the room instead of walking away from the wave. • Recognize that shifting between feeling and functioning supports healthy balance. • Honor your unique timeline without comparing it to anyone else's pace. • Carry quiet connection forward while managing everyday responsibilities. Recommended Resources: • The Dual Process Model by Margaret Stroebe and Henk Schut • Worden's Tasks of Mourning in grief counseling resources • Continuing Bonds by Dennis Klass, Phyllis Silverman, and Steven Nickman Coming Up Next Next time we hear more listener stories about navigating anniversary triggers and finding steady ground amid the waves. 📩 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 →Rebuilding Identity After Partner Loss: Finding Your Way Forward
2w ago00:25:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we gently explore the disorienting experience of losing a long-term partner and the quiet challenge of rebuilding your sense of self afterward. Many listeners recognize how shared routines and roles once defined daily life, leaving an unexpected emptiness when those patterns fade. This conversation moves slowly and respectfully, acknowledging that identity does not snap back into place or vanish entirely. Instead, small ordinary moments reveal how much of your inner world once included another person. We honor the courage it takes to notice these shifts without pressure to fix them quickly. The focus stays on patient self-discovery and the gradual emergence of new preferences that feel true to you now. Through personal reflections and research insights, we create space to sit with uncertainty while recognizing that your story continues to unfold at its own pace. What You'll Learn: • How long partnerships quietly shape daily self-concept and roles • Why identity questions surface during ordinary choices after loss • The non-linear process of untangling merged habits over time • Research showing grief forces reevaluation of steady self-images • How small solo decisions begin revealing new personal preferences Key Insights • Keep a simple notebook to record your own preferences without judgment • Allow empty spaces in routines instead of rushing to fill them • Test low-stakes choices like coffee brands or weekend plans alone • Honor both freeing and heavy feelings as they arise naturally • Reconnect gradually with interests once set aside during partnership Recommended Resources: • It's Okay That You're Not Okay by Megan Devine • The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman • Widow to Widow by Phyllis R. Silverman Coming Up Next Tune in to discover how others have navigated similar identity questions through gentle experiments that build steadier footing without forcing quick resolutions. 📩 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...This episode includes AI-generated content.
Transcribe →Evening Grief Release: Gentle Ways to Let Go at Night
May 1100:42:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we're diving deep into something that doesn't get talked about enough: what happens to your grief when the sun goes down. If you're someone who feels like nighttime is when your loss hits hardest, when the weight of missing someone or missing how things used to be becomes almost unbearable, this episode is for you. Dylan explores the real physiological reasons why grief amplifies in the evening hours, and more importantly, he walks you through practical, gentle rituals you can use to move through that nighttime heaviness instead of just lying there with it all night long. This isn't about making grief disappear. It's about creating intentional space to process what you're feeling so you can actually rest. What You'll Learn: • Why nighttime grief feels heavier and more intense than daytime grief • How your nervous system changes as the sun sets and impacts emotional processing • The physiological reasons your defenses are lower in evening hours • Specific rituals designed to help you move through grief before bed • How to honor what you're feeling while also creating space for rest Key Insights • Meeting nighttime grief with intention helps release it instead of letting it build • Your body's vulnerability at night isn't weakness, it's an opportunity for processing • Creating a deliberate evening practice can transform your relationship to nighttime sadness • Grief processing at night is different and deserves its own specific approach • Honoring loss while also prioritizing your own rest are not in conflict Recommended Resources: • The Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University offers research-backed resources for processing intense grief • The National Sleep Foundation provides guidance on sleep and emotional health • The Dinner Party offers community and support for people grieving significant loss Coming Up Next In our next episode, we're exploring what happens when grief shows up unexpectedly during moments that are supposed to be happy. Join us as we talk about navigating those complicated emotions and finding authenticity in spaces where you're expected to smile. 📩 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 →Routines Feel Impossible: Gentle Support for Grieving
May 900:26:29Tap to summarizeIn this episode, if you're finding that even the simplest daily tasks feel overwhelming after your loss, you're not alone. Grief can disrupt the brain's usual routines, making things like making coffee or feeding a pet seem impossible. We explore why this happens and how to approach these moments with kindness rather than pressure. This conversation acknowledges the fog that settles in and offers understanding for those days when getting started feels out of reach. We move slowly, honoring your pace without any rush to return to normal while sharing real stories and brain science that explain the shutdown many experience. What You'll Learn: • Grief interrupts brain signals for starting simple daily tasks. • The prefrontal cortex handles sequencing and gets temporarily affected by loss. • Personal stories reveal common blank moments during routine activities. • Scientific studies confirm these disruptions are normal after significant bereavement. • Naming the pattern reduces shame and feelings of personal failure. Key Insights: • Allow one small reachable step without needing the full routine. • Prepare aids like leaving items out the night before to ease decisions. • Notice patterns gently without judgment to open space for change. • Treat each day as its own set of tiny decisions only. • Replace inner pressure by asking what one action looks possible today. Recommended Resources: • Columbia Center for Complicated Grief provides research and guidance on adjusting after loss. • UCLA bereavement studies detail brain changes during early grief phases. • American Psychiatric Association DSM5TR explains effects on daily functioning. Coming Up Next We'll explore how grief affects relationships and communication next time, helping you find steadier ways to connect without added strain. 📩 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 →Grief and Guilt: Making Peace with "What Ifs"
Apr 2600:39:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re gently untangling one of grief’s most painful companions: guilt. That specific weight of the “what ifs” can feel like a maze with no exit, a relentless loop of regret and alternate realities you can’t stop replaying. If you’re haunted by thoughts of what you could or should have done differently, you are not alone. This episode is a compassionate space to understand why these thoughts hit so hard, not to erase them, but to help you find a way to breathe alongside them. We’ll explore how this guilt is often a heartbreaking signal of your love and how to relate to these thoughts with more kindness for the person you were then. What You'll Learn: • Why "what if" thoughts are a common, almost universal, part of grieving. • The psychological term "counterfactual thinking" and how your brain uses it. • How guilt often judges your past self with knowledge you didn't have. • That these painful thoughts frequently stem from love and a wish for control. • Why trying to forcefully stop these thoughts often makes them louder. Key Insights • You can acknowledge a "what if" thought without getting lost in its story. • Practice separating the you grieving now from the you who acted without foresight. • Understand that your mind is trying to solve an unsolvable problem out of care. • Allow for the non-linear nature of this process; some days will be louder than others. • The goal is to change your relationship to the thoughts, not to stop them completely. Recommended Resources: • The article "Understanding Counterfactual Thinking in Grief" from the *Journal of Loss and Trauma*. • Dr. Kenneth Doka’s extensive writings on disenfranchised grief and complicated mourning. • The book "It’s OK That You’re Not OK" by Megan Devine. Coming Up Next We’ll explore practical, gentle ways to respond when a "what if" thought ambushes you, offering tangible steps to find grounding and self-compassion in the moment. 📩 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 →Explore Memory Box Practice: Honoring Your Loved One in 5 Minutes
Apr 1600:29:10Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore the gentle yet powerful practice of the Five-Minute Memory Box - a daily ritual designed to help those grieving maintain meaningful connections with loved ones they've lost. Whether you're in the raw early stages of grief or walking a path that stretches back years, this simple practice offers a sustainable way to honor memories without becoming overwhelmed by them. What You'll Learn: • How to create and personalize your own Five-Minute Memory Box with meaningful items • Why setting time boundaries around grief work can make it more manageable and sustainable • Understanding the difference between contained grief practices and overwhelming emotional experiences • How daily micro-rituals can help maintain healthy connections with those we've lost • Ways to adapt the practice as your grief journey evolves Key Insights: • Start small - even five minutes of intentional remembrance can have profound healing effects • Create clear boundaries around your practice to make it feel safe and sustainable • Allow flexibility in your ritual - some days may need more time, others less • Choose items that bring comfort rather than trigger overwhelming emotions • Remember there's no "right way" to maintain connections with loved ones Recommended Resources: • "It's OK That You're Not OK" by Megan Devine • The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman • What's Your Grief (website and online community) Coming Up Next: Join us as we explore how to navigate grief triggers during holidays and special occasions, with practical strategies for preparing and caring for yourself during challenging times. 📩 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 →Understanding Complicated Grief: When Healing Gets Stuck
Apr 1300:29:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we tackle the profound challenge of complicated grief, where the natural healing process gets stuck. Understand why your grief might feel endless and discover gentle pathways to move forward without leaving your loved one behind. This isn't about 'getting over it,' but about finding a way to breathe again. What You'll Learn:: • Recognize signs of complicated grief. • Understand why healing gets stuck. • Differentiate from typical mourning. • Explore factors influencing persistent grief. • Find gentle ways to carry loss. Key Insights: • Complicated grief is a natural response. • It is not a failure to heal. • Society's timelines are often unrealistic. • Understanding is the first step toward freedom. • Moving forward doesn't mean forgetting. Recommended Resources: • "It's OK That You're Not OK" by Megan Devine • "On Grief and Grieving" by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross • Grief counseling and therapy • Support groups for complicated grief 📩 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 →Explore Walking Through Grief: Mindful Movement for Healing
Apr 1100:31:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we explore the profound connection between grief and physical movement. Whether you're struggling to get out of bed or finding solace in long walks, we delve into how our bodies process loss and how mindful movement can become a gentle companion in grief. Through personal stories, expert insights, and community experiences, we discover how honoring the physical dimension of grief can open new pathways to healing. What You'll Learn: • How grief manifests physically in our bodies and impacts our natural movement patterns • The science behind why movement can help process emotional pain and trauma • Simple, accessible ways to incorporate mindful movement into your grief journey • Why traditional exercise advice often fails grieving people and what works instead • How different cultures use movement rituals to honor loss and support healing Key Insights • Start small - even tiny movements like stretching in bed or walking to the mailbox count • Listen to your body's rhythm - some days need stillness, others need movement • Create sacred movement spaces where you can safely express your grief • Use gentle walking meditation to stay present with difficult emotions • Connect with others through movement, whether in grief groups or solo practice Recommended Resources: • "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk • Mindful Grieving Movement Guide by The Center for Loss & Life Transition • GriefYoga.com - Specialized yoga practices for those experiencing loss Coming Up Next Join us next week as we explore how to navigate grief during major life transitions and milestones, offering practical tools for these challenging times. 📩 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 →Understanding Disenfranchised Grief: When Loss Goes Unseen
Apr 500:29:30Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we shine a light on disenfranchised grief, the profound pain of losses that go unseen and unacknowledged by society. Discover how to validate your own experience and find solace even when others don't understand, transforming isolation into self-compassion. What You'll Learn:: • Understand disenfranchised grief's impact • Validate your personal loss experience • Cope with unacknowledged sorrow • Find support for hidden grief • Reclaim your right to mourn Key Insights: • Society often ranks losses, invalidating many • Grief's depth isn't measured by social recognition • Unrecognized grief adds layers of isolation • Your pain is real, regardless of others' understanding • Healing involves honoring your unique loss journey Recommended Resources: • "It's OK That You're Not OK" by Megan Devine • The Disenfranchised Grief and Loss Scale (DGLS) • Grief counseling and therapy 📩 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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