Types of Grief

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