Tag Archives: griefeducationpodcast

The Mary Mac Show | Handling Our Loved One’s Belongings

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 144, we discuss how best to deal with our loved one’s belongings after their death.

This can be one of the most difficult decision-making processes we will go through during our grieving process.

Some people in our circle want us to get rid of their photos soon after the funeral.

Some people tell you it’s necessary to put all their clothes and other things away.

But this is both unwise and unnecessary.

Only you can make these decisions and you need to not allow anyone else decide for you.

It can be comforting to have their ‘stuff’ around to smell, hold, look at, and just be near you.

You might feel better sitting in their favorite chair, wearing their sweater, holding their stuffed animal, maybe their pillow as you sleep.

These decisions are something only you can do.

Don’t let anyone force you into making these decisions too soon.

Listen in to Episode 144 to get a better understanding of the various emotions and challenges you may feel and deal with during your grieving process.

Bless you, my Warrior!

Additional Notes:

Help yourself by learning the Emotional Freedom Technique on how to deal with grief.

Here are some meditation music to help you rest.

Grab my free ebook, 21 Things You Need to Know About the Grieving Process, right here on my site.

Join The Mary Mac Show Community to join others who are grieving to gain the support and understanding you need as you move through your journey. Don’t isolate; stay connected.

Please share with anyone who may benefit from this knowledge. Also subscribe, rate and review this podcast on whichever podcast platform you listened in.

The Mary Mac Show | Trusting Ourself

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 143, we discuss how to trust ourself to know what we need throughout the grieving process and not allow others to dictate how we grieve or our timeframe.

In life there will always be people who want you to behave and act in a certain way so they will feel comfortable.

They might expect too much of you.

They might expect that you should go back to the way you were before your loved one died.

They might expect that you’d be over this by now.

But they aren’t you!

Only you know what is going to work for you.

Only you know what feels right for you.

And only you can assess what your journey through the grieving process will be for you.

No one else.

But many people feel it’s their way of helping you by giving unsolicited advice.

But that won’t work for you.

The only thing you need is to consider what works and what doesn’t work for YOU.

No one else.

Listen in to Episode 143 to help you better understand this process.

Listen to that still small voice inside which tells you the better way forward.

And take action based on it.

Bless you, my Warrior!

Additional Notes:

Help yourself by learning the Emotional Freedom Technique on how to trust yourself.

Here are some meditation music to help you rest.

Grab my free ebook, 21 Things You Need to Know About the Grieving Process, right here on my site.

Please share with anyone who may need to know this. Also subscribe, rate and review this podcast on whichever podcast platform you listened in.

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 Community

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 141, I welcome my listeners in over 85 countries and other bereaved individuals to join my new online membership – The Mary Mac Show Community – which I’ve created to help you feel supported through your grieving process.

In these uncertain time with violence growing in many places around the world, I felt an urgent need to provide a safe online portal where those grieving a death of a loved one, or those who anticipate the imminent death of someone significant in their life, would be able to visit as often as they wished, to share their challenges, anger, guilt, and many more emotional struggles as they dealt with their grief.

Many people do not have the financial resources to pay for individual counseling because insurance rarely pays for it.

Also, it is often difficult to find a counselor who has experienced the exact type of death a bereaved individual has experienced.

Consequently, the bereaved winds up training the counselor and pays for the training, too.

The Mary Mac Show Community offers many features which I’ve been searching for over a long time.

Visit here to learn more and click on the link on the bottom of the page to join us.

We also provide our 7-day free feature to get you started; you can cancel at any time.

I look forward to seeing you in our community and getting to know you!

Mary Mac
xoxo

The Mary Mac Show | Death of Dory’s Father II

The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 140, I continued my discussion with Dory Fier of Indianapolis, IN, a pediatric social worker, who shares with us the terminal diagnosis her father received and his nine-month battle with an inoperable brain tumor.

In this second of two episodes, Dory and I delve deeply into how she dealt with the aftermath of his death and the physical symptoms that appeared for her.

We discuss how she wished she had taken advantage of the support system that wanted to help her and was grateful for those who did offer her assistance.

We also spoke about the difference between grieving an anticipatory death vs. a sudden death and her thoughts on that.

I am so grateful for the time Dory spent with me and I believe her courage to share this experience will benefit and bless you whether you are going through this struggle now or may in the future.

Much Love to Dory and her family!

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.