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Ever caught yourself talking to someone who's no longer here? Or wearing their watch, cooking their recipes, or keeping their photo as your phone wallpaper? These aren't signs you're "stuck" in grief – they're powerful micro-rituals that help maintain meaningful connections while healing.

One of the most common fears I hear from grieving clients is that healing somehow means forgetting their loved ones. As the initial raw pain subsides and good days start to outnumber bad ones, many worry they're losing their connection. This fear makes perfect sense – our brains have wired pain and remembrance together, making sadness feel like the only reliable link to those we've lost.

Micro-rituals transform this dynamic completely. These simple, sacred, everyday actions – saying "I love you" aloud, wearing their jewelry, tending their garden – create continuing bonds based on love rather than pain. They anchor us as we navigate the changed landscape of our lives, allowing us to move forward without leaving our loved ones behind. Whether private or shared with others (like sports teams honoring deceased players with jersey patches), these rituals provide consistent touchpoints of connection that strengthen rather than drain us.

The beauty of micro-rituals lies in their accessibility. They require no special equipment, training or time commitment – just intention and consistency. Many of you are likely already practicing some without realizing their therapeutic value. I'd love to hear what rituals have naturally emerged in your grief journey – send me a text through the podcast app and share what's working for you.

Ready to transform your relationship with grief? Book a complimentary chat to learn about my Resilient Life Academy, where I'll teach you to navigate those unpredictable waves of emotion with confidence and help you discover how to grieve with more freedom. Because healing isn't about forgetting – it's about remembering in ways that inspire rather than immobilize us.

Will this be the summer that changes everything for you? You’ve done the grief support groups. You’ve thought about therapy. You’ve tried so hard to figure this out. Yet, nothing seems to be bringing you inner peace, emotional stability, or a sense of purpose.

A lot of us get stuck here.

The good news: This summer I’ve opened my calendar to guide a small number of you 1:1.

You’ll learn the most potent yet gentle coping strategies. You’ll get j

Book a Call to learn more about working with me 1:1 this Summer https://link.crmdonebetter.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-with-diane

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.debobesbonilla

Follow me on Instagram @dianebonillacoaching

This podcast is not medical advice, psychotherapy or counseling. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know is in crisis dial or text 988 for the suicide crisis lifeline.

Send us a text

Anxiety is one of the most overlooked emotions in grief, yet it's a completely normal part of the grieving journey and must be addressed in order to navigate loss successfully. In this episode I discuss why anxiety can show up in the grief process and 3 strategies you can start using today to help you cope with it.

Here are some of the reasons anxiety is felt during the grieving process:

• When attachment to a loved one is disrupted through death, our nervous system feels unsettled or unsafe
• The disappearance of our imagined future with our loved one creates uncertainty that manifests as anxiety
• Loss can destabilize our sense of identity and purpose, triggering anxiety about who we are without the relationship
• The grieving brain physically changes, making us more susceptible to anxiety

Listen to the episode to learn 3 powerful strategies to help navigate anxiety and regulate your nervous system.
• All three strategies become more effective with repetition and consistent practice

Book a complimentary 20-minute chat to learn more about working with me 1:1 this summer. As my client you'll learn to be your own grief and anxiety expert who navigates emotions with peace and confidence. You'll also get access to my client only podcast. You can find my calendar link in the show notes and in my Instagram bio.

Resource:

"The Grieving Brian: The Surprising Science of How We Learn From Love And Loss," Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD

Will this be the summer that changes everything for you? You’ve done the grief support groups. You’ve thought about therapy. You’ve tried so hard to figure this out. Yet, nothing seems to be bringing you inner peace, emotional stability, or a sense of purpose.

A lot of us get stuck here.

The good news: This summer I’ve opened my calendar to guide a small number of you 1:1.

You’ll learn the most potent yet gentle coping strategies. You’ll get j

Book a Call to learn more about working with me 1:1 this Summer https://link.crmdonebetter.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-with-diane

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.debobesbonilla

Follow me on Instagram @dianebonillacoaching

This podcast is not medical advice, psychotherapy or counseling. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know is in crisis dial or text 988 for the suicide crisis lifeline.

Send us a text

Have you been trying to fit your grief journey into the famous five stages model, wondering if you're grieving "correctly"? It's time to set the record straight about one of the most misunderstood frameworks in grief support.

The five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—have been deeply misinterpreted by mainstream culture. As a grief therapist with nearly 30 years of experience, I'm pulling back the curtain on this model's origins, limitations, and how it's often misused. Dr. Kübler-Ross originally observed these emotional responses in dying patients, not in those grieving a loved one's death. Though later adapted for the bereaved, these stages were never meant to be followed sequentially or treated as required milestones.

Will this be the summer that changes everything for you? You’ve done the grief support groups. You’ve thought about therapy. You’ve tried so hard to figure this out. Yet, nothing seems to be bringing you inner peace, emotional stability, or a sense of purpose.

A lot of us get stuck here.

The good news: This summer I’ve opened my calendar to guide a small number of you 1:1.

You’ll learn the most potent yet gentle coping strategies. You’ll get j

Book a Call to learn more about working with me 1:1 this Summer https://link.crmdonebetter.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-with-diane

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.debobesbonilla

Follow me on Instagram @dianebonillacoaching

This podcast is not medical advice, psychotherapy or counseling. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know is in crisis dial or text 988 for the suicide crisis lifeline.

Send us a text

Do you remember your first?

Hello everyone. Today we are going to take a fresh look at our earliest memorable loss and use it to shed some light on how we navigate grief now.

How we navigated our earliest loss, can actually tell us some things. The emotions we felt, the beliefs we had, how we responded to the loss, and the support we may or may not have received are all stored in our memory files.

The body remembers and the unconscious mind remembers.

Our unconscious mind tends to repeat what it knows. It turns to the familiar, even if it isn’t what’s best for us.

Looking back can actually serve us quite well.

Listen to find out why!

Here's to your beautiful resilience!

~Diane

Will this be the summer that changes everything for you? You’ve done the grief support groups. You’ve thought about therapy. You’ve tried so hard to figure this out. Yet, nothing seems to be bringing you inner peace, emotional stability, or a sense of purpose.

A lot of us get stuck here.

The good news: This summer I’ve opened my calendar to guide a small number of you 1:1.

You’ll learn the most potent yet gentle coping strategies. You’ll get j

Book a Call to learn more about working with me 1:1 this Summer https://link.crmdonebetter.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-with-diane

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.debobesbonilla

Follow me on Instagram @dianebonillacoaching

This podcast is not medical advice, psychotherapy or counseling. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know is in crisis dial or text 988 for the suicide crisis lifeline.

Send us a text

In today's episode I talk about a specific type of grief that tends to be ignored, dismissed, and underestimated. It's grief that commonly surfaces during major life events like graduation.

Beginnings, endings, and changes are big opportunities for this type of grief to drop in unexpectedly. You'll gain clarity about what this grief is and why this grief can be confusing and underappreciated. You'll also learn 3 impactful strategies to respond to it, so you're more confident and prepared.

We are just now entering the May, June graduation season. College, high school and maybe even preschool students will be walking across stages everywhere and flipping their tassels. Let’s throw some weddings in there, job changes and location moves. We are in a season of milestones and change.

I have 3 family members graduating this year, 2 from high school and 1 from college... a niece and 2 nephews. But it was only 2 years ago my youngest was flipping her tassel and walking across the stage at Mount Holyoke. I remember the grief amidst the excitement and joy of that time.

Grief comes in many shapes and sizes, but it’s not always directly associated with death. Today I’m focusing more on graduation, but this information applies to many different kinds of beginnings, endings, and changes:

Weddings, promotions, job changes, divorce, separation, moving to a new area, kids moving out, and the college launch.…just to name a few.

In any of these life events, grief can remain just under the surface, at an almost undetectable level, or it can present itself with intensity.

Let's dive in and explore this together! Here's to your beautiful resilience!

Will this be the summer that changes everything for you? You’ve done the grief support groups. You’ve thought about therapy. You’ve tried so hard to figure this out. Yet, nothing seems to be bringing you inner peace, emotional stability, or a sense of purpose.

A lot of us get stuck here.

The good news: This summer I’ve opened my calendar to guide a small number of you 1:1.

You’ll learn the most potent yet gentle coping strategies. You’ll get j

Book a Call to learn more about working with me 1:1 this Summer https://link.crmdonebetter.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-with-diane

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.debobesbonilla

Follow me on Instagram @dianebonillacoaching

This podcast is not medical advice, psychotherapy or counseling. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know is in crisis dial or text 988 for the suicide crisis lifeline.

Send us a text

In today’s episode, I’m going to share 7 strategies you can start using today to help you navigate the grief that Mother’s Day can bring up for so many of us. This will be my second Mother’s day since I lost my mom. My grief is definitely present, but it feels different from last year. Last year, emotions were more raw. Grief changes and it’s really up to us to pay attention to what we need.

Today I’m going to suggest that when it comes to grief and Mother’s Day, celebrating should be flexible and optional…here’s why and 7 powerful strategies to support the concept of flexibility.

Let's dive in! Here's to your beautiful resilience!

Will this be the summer that changes everything for you? You’ve done the grief support groups. You’ve thought about therapy. You’ve tried so hard to figure this out. Yet, nothing seems to be bringing you inner peace, emotional stability, or a sense of purpose.

A lot of us get stuck here.

The good news: This summer I’ve opened my calendar to guide a small number of you 1:1.

You’ll learn the most potent yet gentle coping strategies. You’ll get j

Book a Call to learn more about working with me 1:1 this Summer https://link.crmdonebetter.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-with-diane

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.debobesbonilla

Follow me on Instagram @dianebonillacoaching

This podcast is not medical advice, psychotherapy or counseling. It is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you or someone you know is in crisis dial or text 988 for the suicide crisis lifeline.