Dealing with Grief and Fears

Some seasons arrive quietly and undo us.
This November has been one of those months for me. At the beginning of the month, I lost a long-term friend unexpectedly. My 93-year-old mom, who has been slowly disappearing into Alzheimer’s for four years…

By the time you reach 60, you’ve buried people you love. Maybe your best friend from college. Maybe siblings, parents, the person you thought you’d grow old with. And with those losses often comes something harder to name: a deep loneliness, even when you’re surrounded by family…

Several years ago, I was on the edge of despair. I was obsessed with anxious thoughts about a distressing family situation. I was drowning in worry and fear. My thinking was dominated by awful “what if’s” about the future. It was crushing me! I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I was miserable…

Depression, according to the DSM-IV major depressive disorders, is diagnosed when an individual experiences at least five of the following symptoms for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks: Depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in activities…

When we have lost a partner, parent, child, or friend, grief overwhelms us so much that it is hard to make the simplest of decisions. For some, busying ourselves with the practical things that need to happen when a loved one has passed…

By the time we reach our 60s, we have known loss in many forms. That makes us especially attuned to the pain of others. When we hear about children trafficked into labor, women exploited in brothels, or families torn apart by poverty and migration, something in us aches. We recognize…

I was visiting in the UK, traveling by train between Manchester and Shrewsbury en route to Wales. Seated in one of those foursome seats with a table between, I shared conversation with two women traveling from different locations in England…

Do you feel that you are always expected to be the listener and to show an interest in others’ lives? And do you feel frustrated when others don’t listen to what you want to share? A number of women have told me that those whom they had just listened…

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and it reminds me of the importance of noticing changes in our loved ones’ state of mind and encouraging them to seek help. Prevention is key since suicide is a permanent solution to what can often be a temporary problem…

The news of Charlie Kirk’s tragic death hit me in an unexpected way. I was in shock and disbelief. I didn’t know him. Not really. We never met, never shared a conversation, and yet I felt a wave of sadness I couldn’t quite explain. It almost feels embarrassing to admit…