Have you ever witnessed someone close to you navigate the death of a loved one? Perhaps you yourself know loss on an intimate level. Grief can be such a heavy and awkward topic. Yet we all experience it. And, death and change are a part of life.

Today we are bringing more light and conversation to death + grief - so it’s less uncomfortable and scary - and a bit more approachable…

And the wonderful Jennifer Kerr is here to chat all things grief, loss, change and bereavement.

Jennifer is a qualifying registered psychotherapist and has been a grief and bereavement counsellor at Hospice Georgian Triangle for over five years. Jennifer works primarily with complex grief and runs the disenfranchised support groups such as substance related grief and grief around sudden deaths. Continuing to meet the unique needs in the community, Jennifer has a passion for normalizing the grief and bereavement journey.

https://hospicegeorgiantriangle.com/what-is-grief-counselling/

These are the key points from our conversation:

Grief is a natural response to change and intensifies with the death of a loved one based on the depth of connection shared with the person
Grief is complex. It often includes a range of emotions. It’s not linear and can take time to process. There is not right way and no timeline with grief.
Your feelings are not too much. You are not a burden. It’s ok / encouraged to reach out for support.
Death is life changing for the people grieving the loved one. Be gentle with yourself as you adjust and change and adapt to your “new normal”.
when we are living in chronic stress our nervous system is dysregulated, so big changes - like the death of a loved one can create a stronger stress response of fight, flight or freeze. When this happens, it is challenging to think and communicate clearly because the prefrontal cortex of the brain is “offline” since we are focused on survival. Simple tools like noticing your senses + body scanning can help you feel more grounded when you feel out of whack. Breathing exercises, Walking, running and yoga can be especially helpful to process bigger waves of grief and support nervous system regulation

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review - it helps us so much. And if you know someone who might love it too, please share + download it or comment below.

And if you’re curious to learn more about navigating grief, please see my program Journey Through Grief: https://edie-gudaitis-wellness.mykajabi.com/offers/h2hLngJQ/checkout

And if you live in the South Georgian Bay Area and are seeking group bereavement services, please visit the Hospice Georgian Triangle website: https://hospicegeorgiantriangle.com/

Hope you have a wonderful week :)

Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor. This is my perspective on the topic, anchored in the work of various thought leaders + physicians (like Andrew Huberman, Irene Lyons, Peter Levine, Joe Dispenza + Dr. Gabor Mate to name a few) paired with my own life experiences and healing journey from burnout, grief, severe injury and other events. If you're curious for other resources on this topic, please reach out:
hello@ediegudaitiswellness.com

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Grief, death + tools to ease-fully navigate it, with guest Jenn Kerr

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