Notes from the Journey

Why Grief Feels So Physically Exhausting: Understanding the Stress Response How grief affects your body and mind, and why recognising stress matters  Grief is not just emotional, it can leave your body utterly drained April is Stress Awareness Month, a timely reminder that stress doesn’t just live in our minds, it travels through our bodies. When we experience grief, our natural stress response is activated, often leaving us physically exhausted, mentally foggy, and emotionally raw. Understanding why grief feels so draining can help you approach yourself with compassion, notice your needs, and seek support when necessary. At a Glance: Grief triggers the body’s stress response Physical symptoms are common and normal Recognising stress can help you manage exhaustion Gentle self-care and counselling support can restore balance Understanding the Stress Response in Grief: Grief is a form of stress. When someone we love dies or when a life transition disrupts our sense of stabi...

Neurodivergence, Life Transitions, and Grief  Why change can feel like loss for neurodivergent people Continuing the conversation beyond Neurodiversity Celebration Week   Neurodiversity Celebration Week may last seven days, but the lived experiences it highlights continue every day. For many neurodivergent people, including those who identify as autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent, life transitions can carry a quiet, often unrecognised sense of grief. Because sometimes, change itself is a form of loss. At a glance In this blog, we’ll explore: How life transitions can be experienced as grief Why change can feel particularly destabilising for neurodivergent people The impact of diagnosis, identity shifts, or late recognition The importance of slowing down adjustment rather than rushing resolution When change feels like grief Life transitions are often framed as positive or necessary, but that doesn’t mean they are easy. Experiences such as: Receiving a neurod...

Neurodiversity, Grief, and Being Understood  When loss is felt deeply, and differently Marking Neurodiversity Celebration Week with compassion and curiosity Neurodiversity Celebration Week invites us to reflect on difference, inclusion, and how people experience the world in varied ways. It also offers an important opportunity to think about how grief, loss, and life transitions can be shaped by neurodivergent ways of thinking, feeling, and processing. For many neurodivergent people, grief can feel intense, confusing, or hard to communicate, especially when their experience doesn’t match what others expect. At a glance This week’s blog will cover: How neurodivergence can shape experiences of grief and loss Why grief may feel overwhelming, delayed, or difficult to express The impact of misunderstanding and misattunement from others The importance of being supported in neuro-affirming ways Understanding grief through a neurodiversity lens Neurodivergent people may experience grief in...

Making Space for Women’s Grief What it means to be supported beyond expectation Reflecting on grief and gender after International Women’s Day International Women’s Day invites conversations about visibility, equality, and care. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on whose pain is noticed, and whose is quietly absorbed. For many women, grief is experienced privately, even when surrounded by others. I’ve talked about this over on my social media pages too.  At a glance This week’s blog will cover: Why women’s grief can be overlooked or normalised The impact of long‑term caregiving roles on grief Burnout, depletion, and delayed grief responses Why permission to be supported matters Why women’s grief needs space What might change if your grief was allowed to take up more space? Women are often expected to adapt, absorb, and endure. Over time, this can mean grief is postponed or pushed aside in order to keep life moving.  This means that for many women, they only feel t...

Women, Grief, and Emotional Labour   Why loss so often lands differently for women Gently opening the conversation ahead of International Women’s Day Women’s experiences of grief are often shaped not only by loss itself, but by expectation. Many women find themselves grieving while continuing to care for others, hold families together, and manage emotional fallout, sometimes with little space for their own pain. As we move towards International Women’s Day, this feels like an important moment to pause and notice how grief and gender can intersect. I explore this, and more on my social media this week ( Instagram , Facebook , TikTok , YouTube )  At a glance This week’s blog will cover: How gendered expectations shape women’s experiences of grief Emotional labour and the pressure to stay “strong” Why women’s grief is often minimised or overlooked The impact of grief on identity, roles, and relationships A prompt for self-care Understanding women’s experiences of grief When you’r...