Tag Archives: death

Famous/Celebrity, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | When Someone Famous Is Sick or Has Died

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The Mary Mac Show PodcastExperiencing the death of a significant person in our life is extremely difficult. But what if our grief is directed toward someone we don’t personally know?

In Episode 10, Mary honors Alex Trebek who has been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer since March, 2019, Rush Limbaugh who announced his advanced stage lung cancer diagnosis on February 3, 2020 and Kobe Bryant, who along with eight others including his 13 year-old daughter, Gianna, was killed on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Others might make us feel we don’t have a right to feel the way we do, but this is nonsense. If we have followed the careers of these individuals and they have brought insight, education and entertainment into our lives, we can have feelings of sadness, even shock, when our hero is stricken by a significant illness or dies too soon.

Alex Trebek has hosted Jeopardy for over thirty years and it is one of the most successful game shows of all time.

Hosting the most successful radio talk show, with an audience of 25 million people who tune in each weekday for three hours to hear him, Rush Limbaugh has hosted his signature The Rush Limbaugh Show also for over three decades sharing his political commentary.

Kobe Bryant, a professional basketball player, led his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, to five championship seasons and won gold medals on two USA Olympic basketball teams.

All three men were philanthropists who gave to others less fortunate than themselves for decades, often in secret.

It is natural to want to cheer on successful people and live vicariously through them. When we watch and listen to them on a frequent basis, we feel a solid connection to them. They become part of our lives.

Visit here to listen to Episode 10 and share your comments below.

Emotional Challenges, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | Emotional Challenges | Anger

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The Mary Mac Show PodcastIn Episode 9, we discuss who and what we feel anger toward after a loved one’s death and how to handle it so it will not affect our emotional and physical health.

Anger is one life’s most serious emotions and, especially after experiencing the death of a loved one, it can rise to unimaginable levels which do not serve us.

We may be angry at the person who died (oh, no say it isn’t so), people who did not treat our loved ones well and may have caused their death, others who intentionally took their life, and eventually anger at ourselves for what we may or may not have said or did which we regret.

Listen to Episode 9 to learn more about anger and how to reduce it so it will lessen the affect it can have on your emotional and physical health. Remember to read the show notes for valuable links.

Emotional Challenges, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | Emotional Challenges | Stress

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The Mary Mac Show PodcastIn Episode 8, we discuss the challenges surrounding stress while going through the grieving process.

We harbor stress from many different aspects of our life, but when we experience a loved one’s death, the stress levels can reach much higher proportions and unless checked can lead us to physical and emotional health challenges.

It is very important that you learn about stress while grieving and how to reduce it so you are more calm.

There are some things we can control and others we can’t. Learn the difference and be aware of how to alleviate stress during this serious time in your life.

Visit here to listen to Episode 8 and read the show notes for helpful links.

Emotional Challenges, The Mary Mac Show, Wisdom

The Mary Mac Show | Are We Ever Prepared?

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The Mary Mac Show PodcastNo matter when we ourselves die or when someone we love dies, are we ever truly prepared?

We might think if we had a longer time to think about our death or someone else’s, as in the case of a terminal or chronic illness, that somehow it will be easier because we expected it.

And we might think that if someone died suddenly from a tragic accident, murder, suicide, military or law enforcement death or natural disaster like hurricane, flood, etc., somehow that would be an even more difficult death to live with.

But chances are good, we won’t be satisfied with how they died or the timing of their death. We still want them here with us regardless how they died and when.

And if they were reckless, that adds to the drama.

One of the most important things I want this podcast to achieve is what I’ve always wanted for the people I’ve helped for over three decades. And that is to help you become more emotionally stable during your grieving process.

I want you to learn skills on how to help yourself function better.

In this episode I introduce you to Brad Yates, who practices EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique, which I strongly recommend you learn for all your emotional needs. He has helped me tremendously over the years and you will be so amazed at what it can do for you! (More links in the show notes.)

Grief is messy but I want you to gain as much control as possible.

Visit here to listen to Episode 7 and please subscribe, rate and review at your favorite podcast portal.

Mostly, please share my podcast with those who need us.

Emotional Challenges, The Mary Mac Show, Wisdom

The Mary Mac Show | Understanding the Stages of Grief

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The Mary Mac Show PodcastMany people who talk about the stages of grief believe that you go through them in a certain order. But this is far from the truth.

The stages of grief are completely different for those who are actually dying versus those who survive a loved one’s death.

Survivors go through a roller coaster of emotions during the grieving process. They move through the various stages sometimes on a more frequent basis, then later more slowly. They can jump around between stages and perhaps skip stages that no longer relate to them.

What you need to know is that there is no right way to grieve. No perfect way to go through these ‘stages’ and I, for one, think they set us up for self-imposed failure because we think we should go through them in some particular order.

Everyone is different so please don’t beat yourself up because of what you’ve learned in the past about these stages.

You will go through YOUR grieving process in the exact manner you’re supposed to. No one can dictate how it will flow, so don’t put some framework on yourself.

Yes, you might touch on each of these stages, but perhaps not in the order they are usually discussed. And you might go back and forth experiencing some for a little longer or shorter than others.

Our work is to help you celebrate the life of the person who died or was killed and to honor what you are going through. We look for the positive instead of the negative. We look for you to feel better not worse because you think you should be moving along at someone else’s predetermined pace.

That’s nonsense.

Use your gratitude journal every night. Concentrate on what you DO want instead of what you don’t. And live the new life that is here for you.

Even if you’re not happy about it.

Listen to Episode 6 here. Download, rate and review.