Grieving During the ‘Happiest Time of the Year'

On a Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving some years ago, my family member's doctor called and said, “The biopsy came back. It's cancer.” Time stopped, and it felt as though everything slow-motion collapsed around me.

But it was the holidays, the sacrosanct HOLIDAYS! Somehow, I felt this pressure to carry on, to keep up with the holiday mingling. Why? Because nothing stalls holiday cheer faster than talking about cancer. During one particularly stark holiday event, I excused myself, saying I didn't feel well, and I just sat in my car and cried until it felt like the tears had dried up enough that I could drive home.

Grief during the holidays is a special kind of awful. This topic is in my heart every holiday season.. the juxtaposition between the ‘happiest time of the year’ and grief is indescribable.

How do we better support clients who are grieving during the holidays?

This week's podcast episode and CE course features Dr. Londyn Miller, LMFT, in an important and thoughtful conversation about holiday grief. Encompassing all kinds of grief (not just grief relating to death), Dr. Miller explores societal norms and factors which shape our unconscious responses to grief, and she also covers critical self-care strategies for managing the unique and plentiful challenges of coping with grief during the holidays.

From my heart to yours, I hope this interview is helpful for you. And, if you're grieving yourself, may you find moments of peace and respite. -Beth Irias, LMFT (Clearly Clinical Founder)

Take a listen to When the Lights Don't Sparkle: Managing Grief During the Holidays at https://clearlyclinical.com/podcast/ceu-grief-holidays. This podcast episode is free to enjoy on your favorite podcast platform. If you want CE credit for listening to this episode, join our membership for just $95/year for unlimited podcast CE courses; visit our website to learn more.