Feeling Stuck in Grief: How to Move from Avoiding to Processing

Feeling Stuck in Grief: How to Move from Avoiding to Processing

Krystle and Danette of Grief Unfiltered discuss the common experience of feeling stuck in grief and how it can show up even years later. They distinguish between “being stuck” (not doing the work, avoiding feelings, staying in bed or staying overly busy to escape) and “feeling stuck” (having heavy days and recurring emotions as part of a lifelong process). They explain how avoidance, compartmentalizing, lack of tools, social pressure to move on, and trying to protect others can keep grief unresolved. Krystle shares an “aha” moment prompted by her husband that led her to therapy after three years, while Danette describes grief presenting as anxiety and fight-or-flight after their dad’s cancer and death, improved through therapy, journaling, mindfulness, and basic self-care. They encourage talking about the person who died, finding balance, seeking professional help, and offer their journal at growththroughyourgrief.net. 📌 TIMESTAMPS:  00:00 Welcome to Grief Unfiltered 00:33 Why Grief Feels Stuck 02:47 Feeling Stuck vs Being Stuck 04:24 Avoidance and Family Patterns 05:47 Take Your Power Back 07:06 Busy or Bedridden Balance 10:35 Talk It Out and Journal 12:47 Why People Get Stuck 17:05 Krystle Therapy Turning Point 20:57 Danette Anxiety and Self Care 24:30 Fight or Flight After Illness 27:40 Final Takeaways and Resources   🌿 GET SUPPORT: 🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief] for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey.  🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me] and complete it at your own pace.  🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/ [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/] Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/podcasts/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief] + download each episode on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief/id1805376634], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1G6o28gS9SFfQuw8EAERQL], or Android [https://www.subscribeonandroid.com/app.kajabi.com/podcasts/2147942058/feed].

How My Dad’s Death Changed Me: Time, Perspective, and Growing Through Grief with Danette

Danette hosts a solo episode of Grief Unfiltered to share who she was before her dad died in 2016 and how grief changed her. She describes being tightly wound, reactive, and focused on control and small inconveniences, then explains how losing a steady presence forced a new perspective where she stopped sweating the small stuff and became less reactive. Grief reshaped how she views time, making her prioritize connection, take chances, and live more in the moment, lessons she connects to her dad’s outlook and his unfulfilled retirement plans. She also shares how grief has made her more present as a mom to her son Owen, cherishing ordinary moments. Danette notes grief still brings sudden waves, especially as her son grows, but she’s learned joy and sadness can coexist and that grief changes shape over time, offering hope to those early in loss and pointing listeners to their journal and course for support.   📌 TIMESTAMPS  00:00 Welcome to Grief Unfiltered 00:35 Danette Solo Story 01:38 Who I Was Before 03:52 Losing Dad Changed Everything 05:19 Stop Sweating Small Stuff 07:35 Time Feels Different Now 10:18 Showing Up as a Mom 12:08 What Matters Most 12:39 Loving Who I Became 13:40 Waves That Still Hit 15:38 Hope for Early Grief 16:09 Resources and Goodbye   🌿 GET SUPPORT: 🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief] for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey.  🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me] and complete it at your own pace.  🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/ [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/] Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/podcasts/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief] + download each episode on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief/id1805376634], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1G6o28gS9SFfQuw8EAERQL], or Android [https://www.subscribeonandroid.com/app.kajabi.com/podcasts/2147942058/feed].

Krystle's Grief Journey: Losing Dad, Living With Anxiety, and Finding Help

Krystle from Grief Unfiltered shares a solo episode about her grief journey after her dad’s stage-four lung cancer diagnosis 13 days after the birth of her second daughter in 2015, and his death 10 months later. She describes years of worsening anxiety that began around her 2012 honeymoon, including panic attacks, severe agoraphobia, postpartum depression/anxiety, and later health anxiety that intensified after her dad’s decline and death. Krystle explains how avoidance affected daily life and parenting until her husband urged her to seek help; about two and a half years after her dad died, she started therapy, used grounding and exposure exercises, and gradually regained independence. In January 2022 she began sertraline, pushed through early side effects, and found medication plus therapy life-changing. She encourages listeners to seek support, find the right therapist fit, and care for themselves while honoring loved ones. 📌 TIMESTAMPS:  00:00 Welcome to Grief Unfiltered 00:34 Why a Solo Story 01:34 Life Before the Loss 02:36 Anxiety Begins to Surface 04:32 Honeymoon Panic Trigger 06:55 Agoraphobia Takes Hold 07:47 Postpartum Struggles 10:01 The Cancer Phone Call 12:23 Stage Four Reality 15:19 Ten Months of Anticipatory Grief 17:12 Aftermath and Health Anxiety 20:28 Naming Anxiety and Hitting Bottom 21:46 Choosing Therapy 24:44 Therapy Tools and Small Wins 27:35 COVID and Setbacks 29:13 Trying Medication 30:53 Life Gets Lighter 33:26 What I Want You to Know 36:18 Support and Final Goodbye       🌿 GET SUPPORT: 🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief] for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey.  🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me] and complete it at your own pace.  🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/ [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/] Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/podcasts/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief] + download each episode on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief/id1805376634], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1G6o28gS9SFfQuw8EAERQL], or Android [https://www.subscribeonandroid.com/app.kajabi.com/podcasts/2147942058/feed].

How Grief Changes Over Time (and Why That Doesn’t Mean You’re Doing It Wrong)

Krystle and Danette of Grief Unfiltered discuss how grief evolves rather than fading in a straight line, sharing how losing their father felt consuming at first and later became more wave-like, with triggers such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays shifting from dread to moments of honoring and celebration. Krystlel explains that time alone didn’t help until she did the work, describing a major turning point around the five-year mark after therapy helped her channel her dad’s legacy of helping others into creating Grow Through Your Grief, an online course, and a journal. They explore why later grief can be confusing, emphasizing it can resurface without meaning failure, and suggest returning to basic self-care tools—movement, hydration, journaling, balanced rest, and small habit changes—while rejecting timelines, avoiding comparisons, and allowing joy and grief to coexist.   📌 TIMESTAMPS:  00:00 Welcome to Grief Unfiltered 00:33 How Grief Evolves 01:24 Early Grief Consumes 03:49 Time Plus Work Heals 05:27 Anxiety and Firsts 07:06 From Dread to Celebration 11:44 Five Year Turning Point 15:07 Why Later Grief Confuses 20:14 Tools for Later Stages 22:32 Self Care Small Steps 26:06 Permission for Joy 28:44 No Timeline Keep Going 31:37 Closing and Resources     🌿 GET SUPPORT: 🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief] for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey.  🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me] and complete it at your own pace.  🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/ [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/] Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/podcasts/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief] + download each episode on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief/id1805376634], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1G6o28gS9SFfQuw8EAERQL], or Android [https://www.subscribeonandroid.com/app.kajabi.com/podcasts/2147942058/feed].

When the World Moves On but Your Grief Doesn’t

Krystle and Danette of Grief Unfiltered discuss a common but rarely spoken part of grief: when initial support fades while the loss still feels intense. Using their father’s death as an example, Krystle describes overwhelming check-ins and help up to the funeral, followed by an abrupt drop-off that felt isolating and created pressure to “be better.” They explore why people stop reaching out, including discomfort, fear of saying the wrong thing, and misleading impressions from social media. They encourage grievers to ask for connection and set expectations about whether they want to talk or cry, and encourage supporters to ask how someone is truly doing. They emphasize that grief has no timeline, joy and grief can coexist, and healing requires intentional work such as therapy and journaling.   📌 TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Welcome to Grief Unfiltered 00:33 When the World Moves On 01:29 Support Fades After Funeral 06:22 Why It Gets So Lonely 08:33 Awkwardness and Social Media 13:17 Ask for Real Support 14:03 What Helped Us Cope 1 5:04 Therapy and Doing the Work 20:20 Living With Grief Long Term 22:09 Final Takeaways and Resources     🌿 GET SUPPORT: 🌱 Ready to grow through your grief? Get my Befriend Your Grief course [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/befriend-your-grief] for the support and tools needed to transform your pain into a meaningful journey.  🌧️ Want to see how your grief is affecting you? Download my free quiz [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/how-grief-is-affecting-me] and complete it at your own pace.  🌐 Website: https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/ [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/ [https://www.instagram.com/growthroughyourgrief/] Subscribe to Grief Unfiltered [https://www.growthroughyourgrief.net/podcasts/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief] + download each episode on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grief-unfiltered-stories-from-grow-through-your-grief/id1805376634], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1G6o28gS9SFfQuw8EAERQL], or Android [https://www.subscribeonandroid.com/app.kajabi.com/podcasts/2147942058/feed].