Overtime: Loss, Grief, and StressOvertime: Loss, Grief, and Stress
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu and Marissa talk openly about how grief and stress impact recovery, health and relationships. They share practical ways to cope, from movement and support networks to faith and meaningful remembrance through events like the Recovery Run and proxy run.
40:57•30 Aug 2024
Loss, Grief, Stress and Sobriety: Turning Pain Into Purpose
Episode Overview
- Grief has no fixed timeline or rules, and moving between stages like anger, depression and acceptance is normal.
- Unresolved grief and chronic stress can raise relapse risk, damage health and strain relationships.
- Movement and exercise are presented as key tools to release stress, lower cortisol and support emotional healing.
- Building a strong support network, talking about loved ones and keeping their memory alive can ease the pain of loss.
- Faith or a sense of a higher power may help some people find meaning and comfort when facing death and grief.
“It only hurts because you love.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober when life piles on loss, grief and stress? This overtime chat with Coach Blu Robinson and Athletic Director Marissa Robinson gets right into the emotional heavyweights that so often sit behind relapse and mental health struggles.
Aimed at people in recovery, their families, and anyone feeling worn down by life, the conversation links grief and stress as “two peas in one pod” that, if ignored, can become “significant roadblocks” to healing. Blu and Marissa break down the classic five stages of grief, stressing that they’re messy and non-linear: you might reach acceptance one week and find yourself back in anger the next.
As Blu puts it, “There’s no right or wrong way to process your grief.” They talk through different forms of grief, including anticipated grief (worrying about a loss before it happens) and complicated grief, where the pain feels endless and life gets stuck. The pair are clear that this isn’t about forgetting: “It only hurts because you love,” Blu says, reframing deep pain as proof of deep connection. Stress gets the same honest treatment.
From acute everyday frustrations to long-term chronic pressure, Blu explains how cortisol, poor sleep, and constant worry can drive people back towards addiction or health problems. His own experience with stress-related health scares underlines the message that ignoring it comes at a cost. True to the Addict II Athlete ethos, the episode keeps circling back to action.
Movement, they say, is non-negotiable: “Movement equals healing.” Building a support network, leaning into faith or spirituality, simplifying life where possible, and talking openly about grief all show up as practical ways forward. There’s also a heartfelt nod to the team’s Recovery Run and proxy run, which invite people to honour loved ones lost to overdose and addiction by running in their name.
If grief and stress have been sitting quietly in the background of your recovery, this conversation might be the nudge to start dealing with them head-on and with support. How could you turn some of your pain into purpose?
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