Managing grief and loss through a behavioral health lens
Grief can stem from losing a loved one — but we can also feel grief from other kinds of life events such as a complicated pregnancy or receiving a major diagnosis. Understanding that it’s okay to grieve in all these situations can be an important step on the path to healing and growth.
“We often go to a therapist or a coach because something is out of alignment in our lives or we’re dealing with something major like depression and anxiety. Yet it’s less common to specifically see someone or talk to someone directly about grief and loss,” said Frantzces Lys, clinical social worker and host of Turning Points: Navigating Mental Health.
“It’s not something that’s always top of mind. If we don’t take a look at our relationship with grief and loss, our worlds can seem like they’re falling apart, collapsing in one sweep.” Frantzces highlights an important but often forgotten part about grief, which has a major effect on one’s mental health and well-being.
She dives into this and more in an episode of our podcast, Turning Points: Navigating Mental Health, which launched in 2021 in collaboration with Boston Globe Media and features empowering personal stories from those navigating their mental health and well-being. Season four launches this month, with five episodes released weekly starting September 18th.
In honor of the upcoming season, we’re reflecting on a season two episode titled “Living with Grief,” where Frantzces talks to Tracy Grant, editor-in-chief of Encyclopedia Britannica, who wrote a moving essay for the Washington Post about her experience with grieving a pregnancy, the loss of her husband and her mother’s dementia diagnosis. Then she talks with Marisa Renee Lee, author of “Grief is Love,” about how to sit with and honor grief.
Frantzces, Tracy and Marisa are candid about their own experiences with loss and how the grieving process can look different depending on who is experiencing it and the loss they’re grieving. They also connect on how to move through grief while dealing with society’s unrealistic expectations for healing.
Listen to the full episode or check out other Turning Points episodes that dive into more behavioral health topics: