Managing Overwhelming Grief On Significant Dates & Milestones

Today's episode is about navigating significant dates and other reminders after a loss. Anniversaries, birthdays, holidays—these milestones can be poignant reminders that reopen the chapters of our grief, not to mention the special places that flood the heart with memories, and then the waves of emotion follow.

But here's what I've learned: While it may seem like these days are there to test our resolve, they also offer us an opportunity for reflection and honoring memories. Consider this—what if you could transform your pain on these dates into acts of remembrance? Lighting a candle or playing their favorite song isn't just about ritual; it's about keeping a part of them alive within us.

Key Points Discussed:

• Acknowledging the Weight of Memories
• Permitting Yourself to Feel
• Creating New Traditions
• The Silence Around Grief
• Finding Support That Moves You Forward
• Planning Ahead for Tough Days
• Self-Care & Communication During Grief

When my father passed away, my family chose silence as our coping mechanism—a choice that left little room for healing. It taught me an invaluable lesson: acknowledgment is not only necessary but vital, especially when young eyes are looking up at us to learn how to navigate their own emotional landscapes.

The power of community in times like these cannot be overstated. Surrounding yourself with people who understand your journey is more than comforting; it’s healing. But remember—finding spaces where growth is nurtured over stagnation is crucial. As you approach those tough calendar days, plan ahead. Honor your feelings by allowing yourself to say no when needed and yes to self-care and tenderness towards your heartache.

To everyone walking through seasons of grief: know that every step taken is progress made toward healing—even on those dates marked by absence rather than celebration.


RESOURCES:

• Do Grief Differently

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Transcript

Victoria Volk: Welcome dear listeners to another episode of our journey together through grief and healing on this episode, one ninety, holy cow of grieving voices. So thank you so much for being here.

Victoria Volk: Today, I'm addressing a topic that touches the heart deeply, navigating special dates and reminders after the loss of a loved one. Whether it's the anniversary of their passing, their birthday, or the first holiday season without them. These moments can reopen wounds and challenger peace, quite frankly. Let's start by acknowledging that these dates and reminders like the empty chair at the holiday table or the quiet of a bedroom once filled with laughter. Carry a weight of memories and emotions. And it's entirely okay to feel a surge of grief, and it's okay to seek ways to honor and remember those we've lost while nurturing our hearts. Firstly, I want to tell you, give yourself permission to feel. I didn't for over thirty years. And that's a form of suffering. That's a form of self suffering. Grief doesn't follow a schedule and emotions may come in waves. It's important to allow yourself to experience these feelings without judgment. I can tell you, I wish I would have allowed myself to feel much sooner and earlier in my life.

Victoria Volk: Creating a new tradition can be a meaningful way to honor your loved one. Light a candle for them. Play their favorite music, or prepare a meal they loved. This act of remembrance can be a comforting way to keep their memory alive. I remember when my dad passed away and on the anniversaries, there was no talk of remembrance or honoring quite frankly, it was not even really acknowledged. It was something that we held closely to the vest individually. And that's really sad to me. And I don't wish that for anybody, especially children who grow up learning that that's the air quote, right way to grieve. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. There's your way, but there are healthier, more proactive ways. That move you forward, but don't keep you stuck. That's what I'm all about. And so in order to do that, Oftentimes we need to reach out to for support. Surrounding yourself with understanding, friends, or family, or even joining a support group. Be careful though. Support groups can be a place that make you feel more miserable after you leave.

Victoria Volk: So it's important to find a support group that you feel comfortable with, that everyone's voice feels heard and honored, and quite frankly, that maybe has some action that moves you forward, not keeping repeating the same story week after week. But it can be a great place to connect with other people who have experienced a similar loss as you. And even if they haven't experienced a similar loss as you, we can all learn something from each other. But spaces like these and people that we trust can often provide us comfort It enables us to share stories and memories which can be powerful way to feel connected to your loved one and to others who understand your pain. Again, this wasn't something that was demonstrated for me growing up as a child. And I don't think that is the case for many children, even today, I don't think much has changed in in the ways that we grieve. Which is why my mission to share what grief is and my understanding, my new understanding, my new knowledge, what I've learned about it, has become an important mission of mine.

Victoria Volk: So thank you for joining me in this episode, and I hope that you share it. And share any other episode that you feel could be insightful or helpful to someone else you know or love. Coming back to the episode and what we're talking about today, it's important to plan ahead for those tough days. Knowing that a difficult date is approaching, consider planning a day that balances remembrance with self care. It might be a day for quiet reflection or doing something that brings you joy or peace. I recently had the deversary of my father. And quite frankly, I spent the day doing what I love. And that's putting together and working on a pet loss program. And working on my mission, that was a way that I could honor my loss. In the memory of my father. And so whatever that means for you, that is a form of self care.

Victoria Volk: Moving on for those reminders that come unexpectedly, like an invite to an event your loved one will never experience. Like a wedding, graduation, baby shower. It's okay to give yourself grace. It's okay to decline invitations if you're not ready. And it's okay to take moments for yourself when memories flood in unexpectedly. Perhaps you wish to attend these events, and create an exit strategy for yourself if it becomes too much and emotionally overwhelming. One more thing on that note, if it's been several years. Now again, grief doesn't follow a timeline. If moving forward and being able to go to events like a wedding or a baby shower or graduation is something you want to do without feeling this pull to the pain of the past? That is an indicator for you, that it's time to take action, that it's time to address what is emotionally incomplete for you.

Victoria Volk: And I've shared it in other podcast episodes, and I'll share it today. I do have a program that's one on one working with Grievers. Twelve sessions. It's called do grief differently. It's just you and me. It's not talk therapy. It's an evidence based program that is specific to you and your life experience and your specific grief. And that's why it works. It may appear to be like this cookie cutter thing. And I know a lot of people might think, well, it worked for you who you know, it's not gonna work for me. How do you know unless you try? And if you tried everything else, what do you have to lose? But more years of a joy filled life. That's my challenge for you today as you're listening to this, to consider that. Moving on to my final recommendation for Grievers listening to this. Is consider creating a memory box or a dedicated space in your home where you can display photos, momentos, or anything else that reminds you of your loved one.

Victoria Volk: Visiting the space can offer a sense of closeness and a personal sanctuary for your grief and love. There is a caveat to this though. Sometimes we can enshrine people. We can create an enshrinement in our homes. Of the person we we lost. And these enshrinements where we view the person as never having any humanness to them, like never having any faults, never doing anything bad and we just we we think only the positive about this person. But if you really dig deep, You have to ask yourself, how true is that? Because even the closest people we we love who have passed away, hurt us in some way, caused us suffering or pain, or stress or frustration, maybe we were estranged. We need to get to the emotional truth of the relationship and if we entrying people. And never become emotionally complete with those those hertz that we're holding on to. But we're over shrouding and over simplifying and probably even minimizing or not even addressing the other things that hurt us. This is where we remain emotionally incomplete. And remain stuck in our pain.

Victoria Volk: So it's important to consider that when you're creating this space in your home for someone who is passed away. On the flip side of that, we also call the opposite, be devilment, where you only think of the negative about somebody or only hold on to the negative aspects of the relationship. And you have to ask yourself that as well. Like, is that completely true? Is that one hundred percent true of the relationship? Relationships are dynamic and complicated and complex and layered and and we have to address all of the emotional stuff on the positive and the negative side to become emotionally and we can't do that if we'd be devolving someone or if we're enshrining the relationship. And maybe that's the first time you've heard any of that.

Victoria Volk: And Maybe you're asking yourself, oh, do I have an enshrinement? It might be devilish someone in a relationship, and only you can answer that. But take some time with this episode and reflect on the things that I've shared so far. Listen to it again if you have to. But remember, dear listeners grief is a journey that is uniquely yours. And there's no right or wrong way to navigate these moments when they hit. But I wanted to share this episode as a way to support and bring some lightness to the dark, and to let you know that it's okay to have days where you don't feel okay. And being able to communicate that to those around you saying, you know what, I need space today. Thank you so much for the invitation, but I'm going to have to decline. That's all you need to say. You don't need to go into the long story, an explanation. You don't owe an explanation. Just I need to tend to my heart today. That's it.

Victoria Volk: And so what's most important is that you do what feels right for you allowing yourself to heal. Again, allowing yourself to heal. You have to be open to receiving that healing. And I also think you need to be ready to want to heal. And remember in your own time and in your own way that will happen. Might not be today, but hold the hope that it could be tomorrow or even two months from now. If you take little baby steps every day, I promise you you'll get there, but Time is not gonna wait for you to figure it out. Didn't wait for me. Over thirty years, it did not wait for me. Trust me on that. It takes action to move your life forward in the direction that you want it to go. Thank you for sharing this time with me today. May you find comfort and strength and healing in the days ahead?

Victoria Volk: Until next time, take care of your hearts. And remember, when you unleash your heart, you unleash your life. Much love.