The Caring Death Doula
In a world that rushes past death and ignores grief, The Caring Death Doula stops to listen with tenderness, truth, and time. Whether you are grieving right now or here to learn how to help those grieving, join your host, Frances, a certified grief educator on the journey of finding connection, conversations, and comfort. Let's make grief and death a natural part of our conversations.
The Caring Death Doula
What If Silence Is The Real Mistake
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, we talk about why so many of us hesitate to reach out after someone grieves the death of a loved one and how that silence can grow when weeks turn into months.
Frances makes the case that it is not too late, that your words carry real weight, and that a simple check-in can help someone feel less alone in grief.
• normalising conversations about death, grief, loss and change
• why reaching out can feel uncomfortable and what sits underneath that fear
• how missed funerals and delayed messages create hesitation
• why late support still matters, especially on birthdays and anniversaries
• the practical power of simple words that share the burden
If this resonated with you, please share this podcast with someone who may also need gentle encouragement to support someone who is grieving.
Together we can lighten the load even if for a minute. Let’s extend grace to each other.
The Caring Death Doula
Click here to send me a text. I would love to hear from you your thoughts on this episode.
Sign up for my newsletter, ask questions, and get responses via Email: thecaringdeathdoula@gmail.com
Follow on FB The Caring Death Doula
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CUfH9Kek6/?mibextid=wwXIfr
IG The_Caring_Death_Doula https://www.instagram.com/the_caring_death_doula?igsh=MXdjOTF3MWo2a3RpYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
hy We Need To Talk
hy We Hesitate To Reach Out
hen Time Passing Feels Awkward
t Still Matters To Check In
Word For People Grieving
hare The Podcast And Closing
SPEAKER_00Hello and welcome. I want to thank you for being with me today. I want to talk about something that I've I've touched on. Like I've said over and over again in my episodes, a lot of this is going to be repetition. It's going to come from a different angle. It hopefully will hit fresh when it needs to. Because the whole purpose is to continue to talk, to get more and more comfortable talking about death, sharing our experiences, our stories, getting comfortable, making death, grief, loss, change a true part of life because it is. It is. And we need to talk about it. So today I want to talk about just that hesitation that we sometimes have reaching out to somebody to let them know that we're we're sorry for the loss of their loved one, for the grief that they're going through. We want to reach out and let them know that we're thinking of them. But sometimes something holds us back. And I know there are people out there that would argue that if you're if you're if you're holding yourself back, it's because you don't want to talk about it. You don't feel comfortable. It makes you uncomfortable to see someone's grief. And so you're selfish and you just want to make things easy. And that may be the case sometimes because we don't know how to be comfortable with grief and death and all the feelings of grief that come up, even in a happy change, in a even in a good change, even in just a life change. There is still the grief, there is still the memories, sadness and joy, the sorrow and joy. It can live together. But we're not comfortable talking about it. And so I don't always think that it's selfish. I just think it's that we're just not comfortable. And so I find myself in that place today where there just seems to be a lot of people dealing with the death of a loved one in my circle of acquaintances and friends and community. And sometimes I can't make it to the visitation or the funeral. And I haven't sent a card. I haven't stopped by. And a few weeks have gone by, or a month or two. And I'm thinking of these people. They come to mind at different times of the day and night. And I'm doing something and they come to mind. And I want to reach out, but yet I hesitate because it's like, uh, well, it's been three months. And I didn't send a card. I didn't send a plant. You know, I didn't, I didn't bring a meal, I didn't go to the visitation. Or even if I did one of those things, I've been silent for three months. And so, isn't it going to be strange or odd or uncomfortable if I reach out? And I want to encourage you that no, it won't be. I've heard numerous stories and I've had experiences myself that when somebody reaches out, maybe they remember that it's your loved one's birthday. Maybe they remember that it's the one-month anniversary or the second month anniversary of his or her death. And it does matter. Our reaching out, our connecting, it does matter. Don't let the thoughts, the beliefs that you've experienced or learned from society, from your community, the area that you've grown up in, don't let it silence you, don't let it hold you back. Because you, if you have that nudge to reach out to somebody, to send them a text, to send a card, to maybe even stop by, make a phone call, I want to encourage you to do it. It's not too late. It's always going to mean something. Let them know that you're thinking of them. Let them know. It's important. Our words have so much power in them. Our words can help share the burden at times, can lift our spirits, can help us rejoice in the memories. So reach out. And if you're grieving someone today, whether it's fresh, a few weeks old, a month or two, or whether it's two years, five years, fifteen years. Know that there are people out there that are thinking of you. But they're not being encouraged, they're not being taught to still reach out. So just know there is somebody out there thinking of you. Share this podcast with someone. Know that I'm holding space for you. I am the caring death doula, and I am here for you.