Category Archives: Social Challenges

Introducing The Mary Mac Show Journal Collection

When we grieve the death of a loved one, often we harbor our pain inside and this can do harm to ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The job of these journals is to lift those feelings from us to these pages to release all you are dealing with and increase your peace.

In The Mary Mac Show Journal Collection, we offer 4 unique journals for those dealing with grief, loss, death, dying and bereavement.

Our first, ‘my journal’, helps you record your feelings after any type of loss or anticipated loss.

Our second is ‘my grief journal’ which helps you record your journey after the death of a significant person in your life.

The third is ‘my gratitude journal’ which encourages you, as I do in my podcast The Mary Mac Show, to write five things each evening which you are grateful for as well as to help you develop your positive vision for your life.

And our fourth is ‘my remembrance journal’ which gives you a place to add dreams, daydreams, thoughts, prayers, photos, etc. of your special loved one who is no longer with you.

Each group of four journals will have the same cover so you can order a complete set.

But other covers are also available and you might wish to mix and match. And they are wonderful gifts and presents for those struggling with their grief and loss.

The best way to see all my journals is to go to my amazon author page where they will be available to see – www.amazon.com/author/marymac

And remember to take advantage of my podcast – The Mary Mac Show Grieving After a Loved One’s Death – to help you.

With Gratitude,

Mary Mac

The Mary Mac Show | The Gift of Embrace

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 152, we discuss the value of embrace, touch and hugs to ward off despair, depression, fear, stress, loneliness and isolation after a loved one’s death and instead to soak in love, peace and calm.

Most of us are unaware of the need to be held, hugged and embraced on a regular basis.

But especially when we have experienced the death of a significant person in our lives, the need is that much more important.

When people come to visit, open your arms to them to welcome this gesture.

It might not have felt important before, but now you need to drink in that embrace to help you heal.

Whether you are young or old, having someone embrace you gives you a sense of peace and calm.

It might bring tears but what do you care.

You need that comfort that a long embrace provides to you.

And if we are isolated or don’t have others around us, perhaps because we are widowed, live alone, are single, etc. it is important to have a pet or stuffed animal which we can cuddle with, stroke, snuggle with, sleep with just to have that connection.

Do you notice how young children love stuffed animals that they tuck under their arm and sleep with at night.

It brings them security and comfort.

And don’t you be embarrassed to do the same thing if you are alone and have no pet.

As I mention in my podcast this week, the light pink stuffed bear I bought for my grandmother gave her great comfort and when she died, I took it and still have it on my closet shelf.

I look at it all the time and it reminds me of her, but at times I hold it and stroke it and it comforts me.

So if you don’t have loved ones around you, get a stuffed or real animal to keep you company.

Speak to it, sleep with your furbaby, let it make you smile and laugh.

You need that to reduce stress, disease, anxiety, despair and depression.

Do it now so no matter what the future brings, you will have your friend there for you.

And when you are able to meet up with others face to face, make sure you reach open your arms and simply say “I need a hug.”

Be kind to yourself.

Sending you my love, my warrior! xoxo

Additional Notes:

My book Understanding Your Grieving Heart After a Loved One’s Death is perfect for those beginning their journey. Click here to get yours by downloading it immediately.

Visit Crisis Connections at my website to telephone a trained counselor to speak with whenever you are feeling lonely, overwhelmed, confused, frightened, fearful or any host of emotions. Even if it is a suicide hotline, do not think they cannot help you. You do not need to feel suicidal to speak with these wonderful counselors. They are there to listen to you.

Use the Emotional Freedom Technique for Healing.

You can watch Marissa Peer’s “I Am Enough” meditation.

Treat yourself to a lovely gift from our Heart of Gold “I Remember” Products from The Mary Mac Store.

Remember, a portion of all proceeds help fund The Foundation for Grieving Children, Inc., the first national non-profit public charity which benefits children, teens, young adults after a loved one’s death which I established many years ago. Your donation would mean so much!

And remember to sign up for my private email list so we can always stay in touch, since social media is no longer reliable. Receive my free ebook 21 Things You Must Know About The Grieving Process for immediate download.

The Mary Mac Show | Placing Blame Where It Belongs

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 142, we discuss what happens when a loved one’s death caused extreme embarrassment for you and the family and how to release that pain so you can build a new life.

Maybe your loved one experimented or was deep into opioid drugs, heroin, cocaine, fentanyl. Maybe they have been involved in gangs. Perhaps driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Involved in domestic abuse of their spouse or even decided to take their own life.

All of these situations are the direct result of their personal behavior and decisions they made in their lives.

And, unfortunately, they can bring great embarrassment to you afterwards.

In this week’s episode I delve into the great pain you feel after they’ve died and left the mess they did for you.

To save face, many families will not talk about what happened.

They may tell all kinds of tails, especially to younger children, about how a person died. Maybe even telling them a family member died of cancer instead of AIDS, or an accident when it was suicide.

They will say things like they ‘accidentally overdosed’ or they will not disclose in their obituary how they died.

They will use words like ‘died unexpectedly’ but they never tell the entire story.

Now there are a lot of connotations to those two possibilities.

And it leaves people to wonder if the death was much worse than it really was.

A person could have ‘died unexpectedly’ in a car crash, heart attack, stroke, died in their sleep. So many ways. But none of those would cause the family to be embarrassed, now would they?

I guess I’m perplexed about how someone can ‘accidentally overdose’. They knew they were taking the drugs. They knew how much they were taking. They knew the risks involved with such powerful drugs. And when they reached out to a drug dealer, they knew they were putting themselves in great harm.

There wasn’t anything ‘accidental’ about it. And the possibility that they actually wanted to take their life using drugs still floats out there. But many families don’t want to entertain that thought.

When someone gets into a car and they’ve been drinking and taking drugs, they know the risk of killing others and themselves but that wasn’t their priority at that time. So when they kill others and themselves in that car crash, their family is devastated. Along with the family of those he or she killed with their recklessness.

If someone joined a gang, more than likely they had to prove themselves by killing someone, usually an innocent person. And then when they themselves are killed along the way, their family is embarrassed and distraught for what they did.

If a husband or wife is accustomed to beating on their spouse and this is a continual occurrence, and then one day they go too far and the battered spouse is killed, maybe to make the news in the papers, how difficult is it for the surviving family to endure.

Perhaps they took their own life, in so many manners – drugs, hung themselves, drove their car into a lake, stockpile, a huge truck or even used a gun to kill themselves. Suicide is not accidental by any means.

In this week’s episode I encourage survivors to get brutally honest about what really happened because if you’re still lying to yourself, you will stay stuck in your grief and not allow yourself to rebuild a life where you thrive.

So listen in to Episode 142 to learn ways to deal with this.

Blessings to you.
xoxo

Additional Notes:

If you are ill or grieving a loved one’s death, take the time to research a hotline with trained counselors to speak with.

The very best individuals to connect with are those who are suffering your exact type of death. Go here.

If my podcast has helped you, I’d love for you to make a donation to show your support! Thanks!

The Mary Mac Show Encore | Grieving a World We Once Knew II

The Mary Mac Show PodcastIn Episode 135 Part I of “Grieving a World We Once Knew” we discussed the uncertainties in our world, inflation, pandemic issues, and how we must reevaluate what is important to us and how to cope when we have little control over our new world.

When we are dealing with a loved one’s death, it is expected that we will experience various challenges to our physical health, mental health, financial health, spiritual health and intellectual health.

And now that we have the additional stress, anxiety and possible overwhelm with our society changing at such a rapid pace, it is that much more important that we look at how it is affecting us in addition to the grief we feel for our loved one.

Don’t take this lightly.

It is imperative that you care for yourself and your family during these times.

We unfortunately do not have the luxury of only considering our bereavement. We are now tasked with learning how to fully care for ourselves in many way.

Listen in to Part II in Episode 136, to learn how to better prepare yourself for the times ahead.

Please take time to share your experiences and comments below so others can learn from you.

Stay Strong and Bless you my friend.
xoxo

Additional Notes:

As you know I am a great believer in the power of the Emotional Freedom Technique.

Here are a few videos that I think will help you tremendously:
EFT Video for Grief after Death of a Loved One, EFT Video for Anxiety, EFT Video for Releasing Stress and Tension, and How to do Surrogate EFT.

Subscribe to Full Spectrum Survival, which gives important information on how to survive what we believe is up ahead for us. Learn as much as you can, as quickly as you can. And stock up on food, water and supplies.

If you need someone to chat with, don’t be shy. It’s totally confidential. Go to Crisis Connections page on my website MaryMac.info to find telephone numbers for Crisis Hotlines around the world.

As promised, here are some of the additional faith-based hotlines you can call for prayer and to calm you:

Trinity Broadcasting Network – TBN (714)731-1000
700 Club (800)759-0700
Joel Osteen Prayer Request (713)491-1283 or toll free at (888)567-5635
(I also enjoy Joel Osteen’s Daily Podcast)

If you need help finding people who will understand your exact pain, visit my Grief Resources page.

Visit GriefAuthority.com to purchase my Bundle of Hope Books which includes my book Understanding Your Grieving Heart After a Loved One’s death, the first and best book to reach for as you deal with your grief and How to Help a Grieving Child After a Loved One’s Death to help your surviving children.

You’re welcome to send your questions to the Contact page on my site.

You can obtain my free ebook entitled 21 Things You Must Know About The Grieving Process, available for immediate download right here on this site.

Please subscribe, rate and review on The Mary Mac Show website or Apple Podcasts!

Much Love,
xoxo

The Mary Mac Show | Handling Loneliness and Isolation

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 119, we discuss how we can feel overwhelming loneliness and isolation after a loved one’s death and how to help ourselves through these difficult times.

Often times when we feel so badly and we don’t believe people understand our pain, we tend to isolation simply because it’s easier.

But what we don’t understand is that we are creating a loneliness that lingers.

We create a world where we keep pushing people out and not socializing.

In this episode, we discuss how to move out of those places and start to look at rebuilding our life.

You might feel it is too hard.

But it’s important for your mental and physical health that you not remain isolated, stuck and stagnant.

Learn EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique, in the show notes below. This will be of enormous help to you move forward on your journey.

Bless you my friend.
xoxo

Additional Notes:

Watch this video using EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique, so you can release the feeling of being stuck.

You can obtain my free ebook entitled 21 Things You Must Know About The Grieving Process, available for immediate download right here on this site.

If you are grieving a loved one’s death, take the time to research a hotline with trained counselors to speak with.

The very best individuals to connect with are those who are suffering your exact type of death. Go here.

If my podcast has helped you, I’d love for you to buy me a coffee to show your support! My thanks!