Maneuvering Misery 3g2m3b

*Trigger Warning* In this episode Mindy and Andrea get into some sensitive topics involving grief, depression, and mental health.  Mindy and Andrea are digging in a bit deeper into grief. The femmes look into ways to help navigate the grieving process as well as taking a look at some things that we let fall through the cracks. Mindy first points out that it's important to seek help if you find yourself being overwhelmed by grief that can be overwhelming and too much to handle on your own. Andrea sites a source that goes into how grief and depression can overlap. Grief and depression are very complex and something may happen in our live that can trigger depression and we don't even know it. Grief can hit us so intensely and so hard that we don't know how to handle it. Next, Mindy gets into ways to navigate the holiday season when dealing with loss. In an article from Harvard, she goes through the list of healthy and positive ways to cope during this time when maybe this is the first holiday season without your loved one. Suggested ways include: start a new tradition, change the celebration, give yourself time, and more. Time is something that comes up a lot in the conversation and in research. Across the board, Mindy and Andrea talk about how time is so important. Time is necessary and everyone's timeline is different. Healing is not linear it ebbs and flows. One minute we feel fine and then maybe years down the road that grief and that pain comes back up. When it comes to grieving, there are things that we should and shouldn't be doing. Like allowing ourselves to cry, giving ourselves some time, don't keep feelings bottled up, and let other people help you.  Mindy and Andrea take a moment to point out how there is no shame in feeling your feelings. We are taught to push down our feelings and there's no reason for us to do that. Another helpful source that Andrea brings up comes from an article from the Psych Central website. She gets more into other healthy ways to navigate grief, such as healing together, acknowledge your feelings, engage in healthy activities, practice deep breathing, and more. Perhaps you're someone who knows someone who has experienced loss and you don't know what to do. Both Andrea and Mindy talk about how sometimes it's good to be the go to person or the person who just sits and listen, being available and providing a safe place. We all go through grief differently, even if we have similar losses. Mindy and Andrea finish up the episode by encouraging those who are experiencing grief or depression or another form of a mental health issue to reach out to some one and seek help. They reiterate how there is no shame in seeking help and acknowledging your mental health. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association https://www.samhsa.gov/ National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Other Resources Mentioned in the Podcast: Grief By the Numbers: https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/grief/related/grief-statistics/ Coping with Grief and Loss During the Holidays: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/coping-with-grief-and-loss-during-the-holidays-201112244028 Grief and the Holidays: https://grief.com/grief-the-holidays/ Healthy Ways to Navigate Grief: https://psychcentral.com/blog/healthy-ways-to-navigate-grief#1 Social Media: IG: @thefalliblefemmes Website: www.thefalliblefemmes.com 2g5b46