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I. What is Anticipatory Grief Anticipatory grief is an emotional response that occurs before an expected loss. II. Examples of Anticipatory Grief 1. Terminal Illness A person begins grieving long before their partner passes, mourning the loss of shared routines, future plans, and emotional connection while still providing care. 2. Cognitive Decline An adult child feels grief as a parent’s dementia progresses. They grieve fading conversations, recognition, and personality eve

A personal tidbit- In October 2014, my spouse and I made the difficult decision to put our 18yr old orange cat to “sleep”. The day he died, he was gone by 9am and I was back at work for a meeting at 11:30am. At that time in my career, I had exhausted all my earned time off. I remember a colleague jokingly saying, “where were you this morning” and I burst into tears and said, “my cat died this morning”! The room went silent, and in attempt to make a joke the same colleague sa

When a Long‑Term Friend “Unfriends” You There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s not romantic in nature. It’s not necessarily dramatic. It doesn’t come with a Spotify playlist or go-to cheesy movie that relates. It’s the moment you realize a long‑term friend-someone who once felt like your person, your bestie, your "ride or Die"- has quietly “unfriend ed” you. Maybe literally Unfriended you on social media. Maybe emotionally in real l

I have always loved Autumn. As summer slowly slips away and the air starts to feel a little crisper, you can almost sense nature shifting gears. Autumn arrives with its bold colors and falling leaves, reminding us that change can be both beautiful and necessary. It’s the season of gathering what we’ve grown and gently letting go of what we no longer need. This idea of autumn and the beauty that is brings is how I view the stage in our lives that some would call, "Later Adulth

How fun is adolescence?? Raise your hand if you flew through this time in your life with ease?? Some words that come to my mind when I think of this topic are- awkward, emotional, and a "tween". It is this period of time where you are not a little kid, but you are not fully mature. It is confusing for the child and for the parental figures in their lives. Adolescence is one of the most important seasons of becoming. It’s the time when young people start asking big questions—

Infertility often lives quietly in the background, revealing itself only when you begin trying to grow your family. Many women don’t realize until they’re in it that the path won’t be linear, predictable, or anything like what they were taught to expect.

I just asked my "resident 12-year-old"- how old is mid-life? She looked at me (like a 12-year-old) and said, "I don't know, 30" . WHAT!?! That cannot be, what does a tween know about MIDDLE AGE! I think 30 is still in your "quarter life crisis" phase! I mean, at 30 I still had a metabolism and stayed up past the double digits! So, I naturally went to my second favorite source- the internet. Thank you, Cleveland Clinic, for validating me. Just as I thought, midlife is 40-60 y