Grief & Resilience: Holding On, Letting Go, and Healing Through Loss - Ep352Grief & Resilience: Holding On, Letting Go, and Healing Through Loss - Ep352
Through a Therapist's Eyes Podcast
A panel of therapists share real-time experiences of grief while explaining why there is no single correct way to mourn. They discuss different kinds of loss, what resilience actually looks like and offer simple, practical tools for carrying grief without losing yourself.
1:08:59•14 Apr 2026
Grief & Resilience: Growing Around the Pain, Not Out of It
Episode Overview
- Grief is nonlinear, has no fixed timeline, and looks different for everyone; crying all day or not crying at all can both be valid.
- People grieve many things beyond death, including relationships, identity changes, pet loss and, in recovery, the loss of a relationship with alcohol.
- Resilience in grief means growing around the pain and taking small steps like getting out of bed, asking for help and allowing feelings to exist.
- Simple rituals and routines — candles, letters, anniversaries, short daily habits — can anchor you and make overwhelming feelings more manageable.
- Joy and laughter after loss are not betrayals of the person or thing you lost; allowing joy is part of becoming more resilient.
“You don't move on from grief. You simply move forward with it.”
Curious about how others manage grief while still showing up for work, family, or even a podcast mic? This candid episode of **Through a Therapist’s Eyes** brings together a panel of working clinicians to talk about grief while some of them are actively in it.
Host and therapist **Chris Gazdik** shares the recent death of his beloved dog Sadie and the mixed emotions that come with it — the tears, the fond memories, and even the relief of "how much less pee there is in my house today." Co-hosts **Casey** and **Victoria** join him in unpacking what grief really looks like when life doesn’t pause for you. You’ll hear them gently dismantle the idea that grief is neat or timed.
As Victoria puts it, people don’t "move on"; instead, "we grow around the grief" like a bigger jar around the same-sized pain. They talk through different types of loss: death of loved ones and pets, relationship breakdowns, estrangement from family, identity shifts, even the grief people in recovery can feel when they give up alcohol. The style is conversational, occasionally cheeky, and very human.
They move between clinical explanations and real-life stories, from dementia and pet loss to clients who worry they "aren’t grieving right" because they haven’t cried. Chris keeps returning to one core message: there is no correct way to grieve, and almost everything people ask "Is this normal?" about… is.
Practical tools get plenty of airtime: simple rituals like lighting a candle, writing letters, or marking anniversaries; body-based tricks such as pressing your palms together to reset your nervous system; and small anchors like a daily shower when everything feels heavy.
The panel also stresses that joy is not betrayal, with Casey reminding listeners that "you are allowed to laugh again." If grief has ever made you feel weird, broken, or "too much", this conversation might help you feel a little less alone. What small act of self-compassion could you give yourself today?
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