Mother Theresa has a quote that says, "We can do no great things, only small things done with great love."

This week on the podcast we are talking about harnessing your ability to see the beauty in the small gestures.

You have the gift of sight. You can choose to see the good in the small miracles and acts of humanity, even as you world is crumbling under grief.

I encourage you to remember this.
You have the gift of sight.

Use it. Practice it. Embody it.

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Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com

Welcome back to Part 2 of my interview with Tracy Quinn!
This week I talk to Tracy about:

~ Being resilient and learning what helps you recover from the trauma of loss.
~ How she found a new love in her life with James.
~ Things to consider when dating as a widow!
~ Moving and selling her home.
~ Keeping memories of her life with Carl.
~ Handling milestone days.
~ Giving yourself grace during the hardest time of your life.

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Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com

Welcome to this incredibly inspiring interview with the lovely Tracy Quinn! Tracy lost her husband Carl in 2020 to COVID. Today she is on the podcast sharing her experience with the world, offering golden nuggets of advice that you don't want to miss! Her strength and positivity are an inspiration to all of us. This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview.

Tracy and I chat about:

~ How losing her husband during COVID forced her into quarantine and a completely different grieving experience than normal.
~ How the power of community and friends can help us get through even the toughest times.
~ How she was able to honor Carl during the COVID quarantine
~ How she handled loneliness
~ Having dreams about our loved ones and what they mean

Be sure to come back next week for Part 2 of the interview!

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Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com

Today's episode was inspired by a message I received via email from a listener who had recently lost her husband.
She had something that was weighing on her mind and keeping her up at night. She kept thinking...
"What if I get sick?"

And that thought spiraled into...
"Who will take care of me?"
"How will I manage?"
"How will I be able to keep up with my house if I get sick?"

These are all valid concerns and I know a lot of you listeners can relate to these questions!
Let's talk about it on today's episode!

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Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com

Join me this week as we celebrate a HUGE milestone of reaching 200 podcast episodes on Widow 180: The Podcast!

I thought I would take this time to share my story with you since we have so many new listeners and members of the Widow 180 community.
This is an interview I did with Emily Thiroux Threatt on her podcast titled "Grief and Happiness" last year.
I share my own widow story, how becoming a widow changed my life, affected my attitude, and changed my perspective.
I share the lessons I've learned and the mistakes I've made on this journey.
I also share how the podcast came to be and how inspired I am by the widows I get to meet every single day!

I cannot thank you enough for all of your support!
200 episodes - what an incredible milestone!

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Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com

We all know that grief and anxiety can go hand in hand.
After losing your spouse, it’s hard to stop the feeling of being out of your body and out of your mind. You’re massively anxious. Your mind races with uncertainty. Fear rushes through you. Your thoughts are running through every horrible scenario and possibility. You expect nothing but the worst of all circumstances to occur. Your breathing is shallow. You’re sweaty and uncomfortable. You’re in the middle of a panic attack.

When you find yourself about to have a panic attack or in the midst of a panic attack, there is something you can do to stop it. To calm yourself down, to control it and get a grip on the whirlwind that you’re lost in.

Try THIS helpful grounding practice the next time you feel a panic attack coming on.

Grab our FREEBIE, The How To Get Your Life Back Together After Loss: 10 Step Checklist HERE: widow180.ck.page/lifeback

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Most bereaved people make their way along the grief road, albeit bumpy and full of potholes, that leads to accepting the loss, integrating the reality of that loss into a new life, and reimagining a future with the possibility of joy.
The acute grief, the intensely painful grief that you feel in those first months, starts to lessen. It transforms and becomes integrated into your new life, your new normal.

Most people fall into this category.

However, a small minority of people, roughly 7-10% according to the National Institute of Health, become so entangled, essentially trapped in their grief.

And this is where complicated grief is different. Complicated grief is the syndrome that occurs when the transformation from the darkness of grief back into the light does not happen.

Complicated grief disrupts the healing process. Complicated grief is altered grief that starts down a different course than the one we just talked about. Basically, it takes a turn for the worse. You struggle to move forward. Your grief is so profound it becomes chronic and debilitating. It cripples your ability to function normally in the world. The suffering persists. It becomes deep-rooted. Sometimes lasting for years. Healing just doesn’t happen.

Today we discuss what it means to have complicated grief, who is likely to experience it, and how we can treat it.

Questions or comments? Email me at jen@widow180.com

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Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com

This is Part 2 of my interview with the lovely Leila Salisbury, who opened Kentucky's first center for grief support for families and children. Leila shares her expertise in the field of children's grief and tells us how to communicate more effectively about loss.

Today we talk about:

~ How kids use anger as an outlet for grief (we all do!)

~ How we can help kids process their anger using focused activities like mindfulness techniques, art therapy, etc. These work for adults as well!

~ Letting kids be kids! They should never feel a burden to take over a parenting role in the household.

~The challenge and struggle of balancing your own grief and your child's grieving needs. They don't always match up! And sometimes we need to compromise.

~ Always keep the lines of communication open with kids!

~ Check out all of the resources on Leila's website: www.kcgcf.org

Be sure to join our Facebook group, Widow 180 The Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/312036956454927

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For more blog posts and resources go to www.widow180.com

Questions? Email me at jen@widow180.com