We often associate grief with the death of a loved one but it is way more expansive than that. Grief can range from the actual loss of a person to the loss of our identity through different life transitions. Career changes, becoming an empty nester, making a big move, a divorce, and the loss of a dream can bring up feelings of grief. Allowing ourselves to grieve these changes is how to cope with life transitions we find ourselves in.
As midlife women, I see this come up often with clients. Moms who have been involved in their kids’ lives, running them around to their activities. When they leave home for college they don’t know who they are on their own. For other women, the transition into menopause can feel like they have to learn themselves all over again which can feel incredibly overwhelming.
It’s important to have tools so we know how to cope with life transitions like this which is why I have Paige Donnelly with me today. Paige is a licensed clinical social worker with 8+ years as a mental health clinician. She has worked in behavioral health hospitals, in the prison system with inmates on death row, and with hospice patients and their families. Her specialization is in grief and loss, life transitions, and anxiety.
In this episode, Paige shares helpful tools we can use to cope with these big life changes. Having these experiences normalized is also a huge comfort!
Connect with Paige
- Follow Paige on Instagram
- Join her upcoming webinar on Grief During the Holidays on November 10th
- If you’re in North Carolina and want to work with Paige, you can message her on Instagram or connect with her on the Psychology Today website
