Processing the Grief of Caregiving

A Season of Caring Podcast

Rayna Neises, your host, interviews Kari Bartkus. After seeing too many people go through hardship alone, Kari was determined to show up and be present with those around her who were hurting. She started the organization Love Does That where she serves as a spiritual director to hurting women. Kari uses a modern-day letter-writing approach for those drawn to quiet spaces and written words. She shares the following insights:

• [3:00] Grief is any kind of loss that we are experiencing.
• [5:00] The person receiving care is grieving too and they might not be aware of that.
• [6:00] Processing is the act of slowing down and thinking about what is going on.
• [10:26] A warning sign that you are not processing the grief is when you quickly turn your attention somewhere else.
• [11:21] Grief will show up in your body.
• [13:43] An outside perspective can help identify changes that have happened.
• [17:23] Handling other people’s comments takes knowing where you are at and how you process.
• [20:02] If you do not know, try different things, and just pay attention to what helps you and what does not.
• [21:17] Grief changes over time.
• [22:19] Download a free grief journal at www.LoveDoesThat.org/griefjournal.