Navigating Widowhood: When Happily Ever After Turns Into Now What‪?‬ Julie Martella

In this weeks episode, I talk to you about how to manage the passage of your loved ones death day; or as I lovingly call it, their deathiversary. There are days that are extra hard in our grief journey, and this is the biggest for many widowed men and women. You and I will dive into how you can make it a meaningful day, from simple activities to more elaborate celebrations. No matter what you choose, it's still a day of remberance.

Join me on this episode of Navigating Widowhood as we explore practical tips for making new friends after the loss of a spouse or partner. We'll discuss the importance of finding supportive communities, volunteering, and trying new hobbies to help build meaningful connections. Tune in for expert insights on how to overcome the challenges of loneliness and social isolation during this difficult time.

You will find the blog listing all of the different ways to make friends: https://navigatingwidowhood.com/2023/06/06/50-ways-to-make-friends/

For the blog listing the questions about how to uncover what you like to do: http://navigatingwidowhood.com/2021/08/11/how-to-make-friends-as-an-adult/

In today's episode, we explore the idea that you are a work of art, and how embracing your uniqueness can help you find meaning and purpose in your new life. Join us as we discuss the power of self-expression, creativity, and self-discovery on the journey of widowhood. Don't miss it!

In this episode, we will take a deep dive into how exactly do you survive the hardest parts of widowhood? There is no magic formula for managing, surviving, or thriving the journey of widowhood. There is no hidden textbook. What there is is a set of skills you can learn, and a phrase that you can use over and over to help you get through, and that phrase is, "just do the next thing." 

So what are the skills you can develop?

1. Manage your mind

2. Identify and acquire the skills you need

3. Learn how to do just the next thing, and repeat it over and over

4. Find mentors and cheerleaders for your team and focus on them

Remember, the work of healing is very important and necessary for your grief journey, but you have to meet the needs of survival first. So, sit back, take a deep breathe, and learn how you can survive the hardest days of widowhood.

In this episode, you and I will discuss how the experience of losing a spouse can be a profound and devastating, and in our quest to alleviate the painfulness of these emotions, we retreat into a "prison of suffering" as a way of coping with our grief. You will learn there are three reasons why you do this, including loss of identity and purpose, fear of moving on, and the grief experience itself. But guess what? There is a way to stage a prison break and it is with the word CHOICE! You can...


Choose to seek support
Choose to take care of yourself
Choose a new dream or purpose: 
Choose to set small goals that reflect your values
Choose to challenge negative thoughts
Choose to find meaning
Choose to meet life head on  
Choose to be curious about life.  
Choose to be comfortable with living in the “…and”.  (happy AND sad)

Join me as we take a deep dive into how to stage a prison break!!

In this episode, you and I are going to talk about how to support a widowed person on Mother's Day, as well as Father's who function as mothers. You will learn how to support both the surviving mother who may struggle with lots of feelings of overwhelm, as well as the partner of the mother who died, who is also struggling with how to make meaning on this holiday. This podcast is a must if you want to support your loved one this year on Mother's Day.