Published: Dec. 20, 2023, 7:05 a.m.
Dina Gachman's mother died of cancer in 2018 and less than three years later her sister died of alcoholism. A career journalist, Dina turned to writing as one way to make sense of these world altering losses. She recently published,\xa0"So Sorry for Your Loss," a series of essays that combine personal reflections with information she gathered from professionals working in the world of grief.
In this conversation we discuss:
- How recalling memories of her mom and sister has become less painful
- Parenting a young child while grieving\xa0
- How she realized she needed additional support
- Finding comfort in the Continuing Bonds theory
- When grief feels like agitation
- Approaching the five-year anniversary of her mother's death
- How her mom continued to care for her even as she was dying
- The expectation vs. reality of hospice care
- Using humor as a way to cope - and carry on her mom's legacy
- Grieving two losses in such close succession
- Recognizing that grief started when her mom was diagnosed, years before her death
- The gift of growing up in an emotionally expressive family
- GIEAs - Grief Induced Emotional Avalanches
Dina Gachman\xa0is an award-winning journalist, Pulitzer Center Grantee, and a frequent contributor to the\xa0New York Times, Vox, Texas Monthly\xa0and more. She\u2019s a\xa0New York Times\xa0bestselling ghostwriter, and the author of\xa0Brokenomics: 50 Ways to Live the Dream on a Dime.\xa0
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