Fifty Shades of Grief

Grief represents an ending with a new beginning. It is the normal and natural response to loss of any kind or the change in any familiar pattern or behavior. Grief is not limited to death. Endings with new beginnings occur in all relationships, when we marry, separate or divorce, when we change schools, graduate or attend university, when we move for the first time, become parents or empty nesters, and when we change careers or retire. You can learn to develop the skills to move through each life transition as gracefully as a tree loses its leaves to make way for new life. All Seasons Coaching has been established to support you through each life transition. Melody Dawn will help you move through each ending to create your new beginning filled with joy and happiness. This is the final episode of Fifty Shades of Grief, an ending with a new beginning. Melody and Sandra will share their experiences from both sides of the radio and what they plan to do next.

What is Grief? Why don’t we talk about it? What are the myths society has adopted as a way of surviving grief? Why can’t you get over grief? Grief is not talked about a lot because it’s uncomfortable and scary for some. Grief The Unspoken is designed to bring grief awareness into the workplace, schools, health services and the home. Experiencing loss and grief can be overwhelming for anyone. People experiencing grief need support. They will not get over a loss or know how to let go and move on without the right tools and support. Grief Awareness Day is being designed to help us all become more aware of the needs of grieving people. It is an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one can have in the life of a human being. It is an opportunity to make sure that all who are grieving receive the support they need.

Dementia – A Different Kind of Grief Dementia brings about many changes in familiar patterns and behaviors. Dementia can mean uncharacteristic angry outbursts or a complete loss of communication. Those living with dementia may drift in and out of the present moment while obsessively revisiting the past. This means a loss of relationship with who they were and a new relationship with who they’ve become before the final physical loss. Dementia grief is a delicate dance between now and then.

Each ending always brings with it new beginnings. Life isn’t about avoiding, suppressing or numbing the pain of loss and grief. Life is about learning to embrace each loss experience and the natural emotional responses that follow as gracefully as a tree loses its leaves to make way for new life. Grief will crack our hearts wide open. Once we journey through grief we can look back with a deep knowing that our life couldn’t be any other way. It is in our darkest moments that we are called forward to let our light shine its brightest. As we travel through our experience of loss and change we begin to see, hear and feel Grief’s Wisdom. It is this wisdom that guides us forward as it deepens our experience of love and the joy of living.

Grief is a universal experience for everyone, including children. There are many life experiences that can produce the feelings of grief in a child. The death of a relative or a divorce in the family are the obvious ones. But what about the everyday life experiences such as moving to a new neighborhood, a close friend moving away, or losing a prized possession. Watching a child grieve and not knowing what to do can be an intensely difficult experience for parents, teachers and caregivers. When Children Grieve will support you in learning how to help children develop a lifelong healthy response to loss.

If you are an employer or an employee you will at some point in your life be called upon to deal with loss and grief in the work place. Everyone who works for your or with you will experience life events that trigger the normal and natural reaction to significant emotional loss of any kind, which means you will experience grief in the workplace. Do you know how to identify the symptoms of grief? Do you know what to do when you observe the symptoms? Do you know what to say when an employee or colleague returns to work after they experience a significant loss event? Do you even know why they were off in the first place? When a grieving employee or colleague returns to work after a significant loss event, what will you do? Are you prepared?

Everyone has a grief story. Your grief story may include a loss of relationship, loss of trust and respect, loss of health, mobility, vitality or love. It may also include a loss of hopes and dreams. Your hopes and dreams may have been about family, relationships, children, love, success, finances, health and wellness or career. Your grief story starts with any significant loss and continues through your darkest moments. It includes your coping strategies, figuring out your new normal, doing your grief work, and creating a new life after loss. Your grief story may even propel you into your life’s mission. Learning to complete each chapter of your grief story will allow your vital life story to unfold. Charmaine will share how her grief story, and a loss of hopes and dreams, propelled her into a life that she is passionately living.

The majority of incorrect ideas about dealing with loss can be summed up in six myths which are so common that nearly everyone recognizes them. Most people have never questioned whether or not they are valid. The 6 myths are: • Time heals all wounds • Grieve alone • Be strong • Don’t feel bad • Replace the loss • Keep busy Just looking at the myth that “time heals” creates the idea that a person just has to wait and they will feel better. We have known people who had waited 10, 20, 30, and 40 years, and still didn’t feel better. And, we know that they would tell you that not only had time not healed them, but that it had compounded the pain. The other five myths carry equally unhelpful messages. John James will give you the 37 year time tested truth that these 6 myths do nothing to support you in your grief recovery.

During this episode we’ll discuss the very real physical and mental health implications of unresolved grief. How does unresolved grief show up? What are the risks of continuing to suppress and carry the unresolved emotions of grief? What can you do to heal your broken heart and improve your health?

We’re taught how to speak, read and write. We’re taught to listen to what is said but we’re not taught how to listen to what we feel. We’re taught basic first aid and how to treat a broken arm but we’re not taught how to treat a broken heart. Children intuitively know how to process the emotions associated with loss but then they’re taught not to. During this episode Chase will share his experience of the Grief Recovery Method and how he relearned to process his emotions in a normal, natural and healthy way. He will also share how becoming emotionally complete enabled him to passionately step into the joy of living.

Time alone will not heal your broken heart. It’s what you do with that time that will make the difference. The Grief Recovery Method group workshop will support you in moving beyond your loss and provide you with grief tools for life. Join Melody Dawn and Yvonne Racine as they share their experiences with the Grief Recovery Method. They will share how the tools they use can be applied to all loss experiences—including the loss of a dream vacation. Listen and learn how the tools that Melody and Yvonne use in their coaching practices will provide the structure and support you need to move through past, current, and future loss events. Upcoming Grief Recovery Method support groups: Starting April 30, 2015 in Edmonton, AB with Yvonne Starting May 13, 2015 in Calgary, AB with Melody

We can't experience life without loss and grief. We will all experience loss of one or more family members, it's inevitable. Our guest Maxwell Addae will share his story and experience with grief in a way that highlights grief’s universal truth. We will all experience the loss of family in our lifetime.

Grief is not something we like to think about, talk about or feel. The pain of grief is something we push out of our minds and hearts in an attempt to convince ourselves that our broken heart is fine. We tell ourselves we’re over it without allowing ourselves to feel it. During this introduction to grief recovery you will learn about Melody Dawn’s personal experiences with grief. She will talk about how the practical tools she uses have changed the way she navigates her own life including the way she parents her young adult daughters. What you learn this week will support you in your journey through grief. You will find comfort in knowing there is joy on the other side of your broken heart. Have you experienced loss, either recent or long ago? Are you are struggling to process your experience and the associated painful emotions? This episode will support you in taking your first step towards healing your broken heart. Get ready to learn how to let go and move on.