Faith & Mental Health (Part 2): Coping With Grief & Loss With Vanessa Vanderpuye

One of life’s most difficult experiences is losing a loved one or losing something we were once attached to. It would be somewhat easier if grief followed a linear path, with stages that neatly fit into boxes. But big feelings can emerge all throughout the grieving process.

It’s human nature to want to avoid painful experiences. When we lose someone or something important to us, we may feel like we won’t be able to cope with the pain of grief. But “we only learn about our capacity to handle things by moving through them,” says Wendy Lichtenthal. When we try to stifle or avoid our feelings, they can come on that much stronger when something triggers them, she says. Making space to experience painful emotions allows us to practice our resilience and grow our own internal resources.

In this episode, Vanessa talks about the various stages of grief and also the need for us to allow ourselves to go through these stages. Remember, "grief is a natural response to loving someone or something".

Though we all have past experiences that may influence how we see ourselves, grief provides an opportunity to reflect on what matters most to us.

Listen, Share & Enjoy!

Vanessa has a resource on Faith & Mental health, follow this link: https://naakwaamah.com/pages/the-sun-will-rise-again-a-devotion-for-christians-with-mental-illness-free-download.

Feel free to reach out to Vanessa on the following media platforms: https://instagram.com/naakwaamah_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= and https://twitter.com/naa_kwaamah?s=11&t=vrfKsgZMRE5n5IvljNif-Q.