The Weeping Woman
I’m standing inside the Museum of Modern Art in New York City observing a drawing by one of the most iconic artists of the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso. It’s an uncomfortably muggy summer day in the city. I’m in a tank top and shorts feeling grateful for a bit of respite from the heat. I […]
Movement
Every morning during the week I wake up to my screeching alarm. My head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton balls. I never want to get out of bed, so I hit snooze, over and over, until I can no longer put off getting up for Barre class. I’m so groggy, I can’t focus, but […]
Food & Funerals
Sometimes food and family is all you need when a loved one dies. I’m sitting at my cousin’s dining room table. Josh is on my lap, and I’m feeding him while I eat dinner. He’s wearing a green and white stripped shirt. The green matches the beads in my necklace. I’m wearing black, a gesture […]
How Moving to Costa Rica Helped My Grief
Some people need to return to their routines; I needed to go far away to find myself and begin to heal from the loss of my son. Grief is often described as an unwelcome change—something that upends your life against your will. It could be anything: the loss of a job, a home, or a […]
Tips for Dealing with Catastrophizing
My husband and I are Digital Nomads who work remotely and travel quite a bit, and for the most part, it is fun and interesting. In early grief, however, after I lost my 20-year-old son, I never thought I’d leave my home, much less travel around the world. Getting out of bed and feeding myself […]
Dealing with Difficult Days in Grief
“Some days I stand with my face in the sunshine, while other days I search to hold your hand in the darkness from your absence.” The Heart of Grief This quote resonates deeply with my experience. Some days I find myself feeling blessed with joy and a burst of energy that comes from genuinely loving […]
Grief Needs To Be Witnessed
“Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.” ― Elie Wiesel, Night When I was in college a Holocaust survivor was invited to speak to my psychology class. She shared in devastating detail about the loss of her entire family in Auschwitz. She had narrowly escaped death and later moved to the United States to […]
Writing to Heal: A Guide for Starting a Journaling Practice
Writing has always been a source of comfort for me, but it wasn’t until I experienced profound grief that I truly understood its healing power. When words fail in conversation, they seem to flow effortlessly onto the page, allowing me to process emotions I didn’t even know I was carrying. Through journaling, or even simple […]
Broken Heart Syndrome and Other Ailments in Grief
My body, no longer in homeostasis, sensed that an incredible void had disturbed its balance. My heart ached. At times it felt like it had skipped a beat or had stopped for a tenth of a second. I felt dizzy and nauseated. My palms were sweaty. Other times my heart raced as if I had […]