Blog
Why You Don't Feel Like Yourself Anymore - And Why Rest Isn't Fixing It
Not long after Dad died, I dropped out of life for six months. When I finally started a new job, it was a return to back-to-back meetings, a steep learning curve in a new industry and a full to-do list. Initially it went as well as it could…
High-Functioning Burnout: Why You Feel Flat Even When Life Looks Fine
Most burnout conversations focus on collapse. The point where you can’t keep going. When you can’t get out of bed. When things fall apart. When you walk away from a job because you’ve had enough. That's not what this looks like. This version looks like...
Stop Apologising For Taking Your Time After Parent Loss
I replaced my garden fences this week and I’m kinda surprised by how excited I am about them. Proper middle-aged territory. It also led to a text exchange with the back garden neighbour that’s sat with me ever since. She asked how long the new fence...
Why We Get Emotionally Numb After Loss (And How to Feel Again)
Over the years, I realised my pattern: feel pain → get overwhelmed → numb out emotionally → avoid pain and stay busy. It might work temporarily, but it's not helpful in the long run. At some point, you feel nothing in general, which is scary…
How To Grieve A Parent Who's Still Alive (When There's No Funeral To Mark The Loss)
I was taught grief follows death. There's a moment. A phone call. A hospital room. A funeral. Then an after. But I've realised many of us are grieving someone who's still alive. A parent with dementia who recognises your face but not your history.
Why The Five Stages Of Grief Don’t Reflect Bereavement - And What The Dual Process Model Explains Instead
The Five Stages of Grief Model is still widely shared. It’s quoted in books, therapy rooms, Instagram posts and well-meaning conversations. But it doesn’t reflect how grief actually unfolds for most people. When Dad died, I tried to map myself onto ...
When Grief And Burnout Feed Each Other (And You Can't Tell Where One Ends)
Two years after Dad died, I thought it was still grief. Turns out, I was burnt out too. I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. I was in my day job for just over a year by then. It started off positively enough, but a nightmare project kicked off my people-pleasing pattern, like long hours, staying quiet…
Do You Need a Memory Box After Losing a Parent? Mine Has Roots (And It's OK If Your Grief Ritual Looks Different)
A few months ago, I found myself scrolling through a grief support forum. Lit candles. Memory boxes. Photo collages. Beautiful, meaningful rituals people created to remember their loved ones. And I felt like a fraud. I don't do any of that for my Dad...
What To Do When the 'Wrong' Parent Dies (And You Feel Guilty for Thinking It)
My Mum will hate me for writing this. It's possible she already does. Dad died at the end of 2021 from cancer and COVID, and it's one of the hardest experiences of my life. I had no idea back then it would split my family apart. We don’t...
How Art-Based Coaching Can Help Process Grief After Parent Loss (When Words Aren't Enough)
At the end of 2021, Dad passed away from cancer and COVID. Within two weeks of being hospitalised, he was gone. Sudden. Shocking. Devastating. We weren't allowed to be with him at the end as he was in a red-zone ICU with strict visitor restrictions...
How Does Grief Affect the Body After Parent Loss? (And Why You Feel Like You're Shutting Down)
After dad died, there wasn't a sofa nearby that I didn't want to pass out on. My body wanted to go offline and recharge for a few months. My neighbour lost her dad a month after mine on Christmas Day. She was close to her dad too, and it was a sudden...
Why Grief And Guilt Walk Together After Losing a Parent (And What to Do About It)
It'll be 4 years since my dad died this Thursday. Every deathiversary feels different. But one thing stays constant: guilt or regret about how I didn't appreciate him enough when he was here. I'm fiddling with headphones he gave me and feel sad...