Lessons from Loss - Part I

This is part one of a two part series about the lessons I’ve learned from losing my mom. Today I’ll be talking about grief and the definition of death. Next week, I’ll talk about relationships and joy after death.  Please stay tuned and subscribe to my podcast so you don’t miss it.  My ultimate goal is to help others during one of the most challenging times of being alive; dealing with death.

Over the last year since my mother passed away, I’ve paid very close attention to my experience.  I tell people all the time that I am so thankful for the coaching skills I had when my mom started to get sick and when she passed on.  Those coaching skills were what guided me through that experience at the time of her death and up to this point a year later.

For those of you who are going through hard times, I want to let you know that you are not alone in this, there are people like me who are ready to help and, most importantly, the ultimate truths that are best for you are inside you if you are willing to slow down and listen to yourself with compassion.

This episode is going to be a way for me to share some of my practiced thoughts, some of my realizations and some of my routines that I have cultivated over the last year or so.  I know this will help you with grief, loss and the overwhelm of unexpected change or added responsibilities.

First, let’s talk about what I have learned, so far, about grief over the last year.  For the longest time, I was convinced that there were stages of grief that I would go through, much like a race, with a starting line and a finish line. Grief would start, I’d go through it, and it would end.  Many of you already know that this is probably not the grief experience for most of us.  It was a widely accepted explanation for a while, but everyone will go through it differently.  And allowing myself to be open to grief being whatever it was going to be helped me loosen the reins on myself when I was stuck wondering, “What stage am I going through right now?  Am I denying?  Am I negotiating?”  Me personally, I hate being fit into boxes. So I think I’m just going to rebel against a widely known definition of a life experience, especially when I’m about to go through it and I’m scared.

This was the part of my mindset work that started when I realized my mom may have been in decline. I was open to learning from grief coaches on podcasts and audiobooks as I spent hours in the car driving down to visit my parents while my mom was sick.

It's important to notice these patterns in your thinking because, if you pause and listen to yourself, you’ll be able to shine light on your current thinking and then make decisions on whether you want to continue to think that way or make some changes.

One of the most powerful realizations I had about grief came to me through a podcast with Krista St. Germain who is a life coach for widows.  She was explaining that grief will take it’s own shape.  Grief will present itself and won’t follow a set pattern for each of us.  

When you’re ready to dive deeper you might want to go looking for current information about grief.  There are tons of free resources out there and I’ll link some of my favorites in the show notes. 

Don't be caught without a plan. Make your Mental & Emotional Health Strategy Plan with me before going back to school! Click on the link to schedule your time.
https://calendly.com/coachwithwolfe/30-minute-session

Get a hold of my Cards Against Educators game to strengthen your community of fun-loving, supportive educators. Start at CardsAgainstEducators.com

Go to my LinkTree for more resources:
Copy & Paste: https://linktr.ee/teacherstresssolution