Grief is universal, something we will all experience at some point in our lived. Communal grieving offers something that we cannot get when we grieve by ourselves. Through validation, acknowledgement and witnessing, communal grieving allows us to experience a level of healing that is deeply and profoundly freeing.

We need to begin to see grief not as foreign entity and not as an alien to be held down or caged up, but as a natural process. As the recipient of someone’s grief we also must understand that it is OK for someone to express pain.

In today’s world, most of us carry grief and do not even know it. The consequences are that even with your most intimate and trustworthy friends you might feel like, “I am burdening them.” Crying in front of others is too often a forbidden fruit. We learn to compartmentalize our grief because expressing it in an unwelcoming place will only lead to more grief. We are taught that the people who are closest to us have no way of holding us when we fall apart. Each of us has a basic human right to that genuine love, happiness and freedom.

Courage Starter

After listening to this podcast, can you relate? Have you embraced grief? Are you prepared to step out of it? Reach out to us on social media or via our website www.ISWCPodcast.com and submit your stories of courage.

Topics

• Anderson Coopers Podast
• Catherine's experiece with grief

Relevant Links

Submit your story here https://iswcpodcast.com/blog A blog post on grief http://www.sobonfu.com/articles/writings-by-sobonfu-2/embracing-grief/

Catherine Takawira (@insecure_fitness) Jen Burns (@jen.burnsrealtor)