Managing grief during the holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving is especially hard since the holidays are a time of family celebrations and of making memories. In this best-of episode today’s guest Nancy Hicks and I have an honest conversation about how to mentally prepare for the holidays when we’re walking through grief, including how we can manage our thoughts through grief, when to pause celebrating in order to honor the grief we’re experiencing, and how to honor the memory of the person we’ve lost.
Although we’re speaking of grief in terms of death, the information in this episode is applicable to other types of grief, such as the grief from marriage problems or a divorce or being apart from a loved one during the holidays.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
- [5:15]About Our Guest Nancy Hicks
- [9:16] Nancy’s grief journey
- [13:59] Living faith fully through the lens of deep grief
- [16:22] How Nancy is preparing for a holiday season without a loved one
- [20:19] Boundaries during a holiday without a loved one
- [26:44] Unanswered prayers behind grief
- [34:23] Supporting someone who is walking through grief during the holiday season
- [36:08] Nancy’s encouragement as she and her family step into this first holiday season without her son
- [40:25] Ending with a prayer
NOTE: This episode was originally aired as Episode 140, and you can view the full show notes at this link.
OTHER PODCAST EPISODES ON MANAGING GRIEF OR STRESS DURING THE HOLIDAYS:
- Ep. 39: Say Hello to a Calmer Happier Holiday Season
- Ep 40: Let’s Create Your Perfect Holiday Plan
- Ep 42: Finding Christmas Joy (When Life Isn’t Joyful)
- Ep 45: How to Manage Stressful Holiday Situations
- Ep 177: Coping with Grief and Shattering Loss when Tragedy Strikes with Lisa Appelo
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