226. Navigating Widowhood, Sudden Loss, and Brain Fog with Heidi Dunstan

Drop me a message or voice note!I'm sitting down with Grief Educator Heidi Dunstan, who lost her husband Mike unexpectedly to a heart attack in 2018—the day before her 40th birthday, after she performed CPR trying to save him. We talk about what early grief actually feels like (numbness, brain fog, trauma) and what it took to feel steady again.In this episode, we cover:✨ Why the first 3-4 months are often the hardest, and what shifted for Heidi around the 18-month mark✨ The brain fog of grief, and why it's a real, physical response, not "losing it"✨ How she chose grief-specialized counseling and why that mattered✨ Why she traveled to Mexico to avoid the triggers of home, and what that taught her✨ The shift from saying "I miss you" to "I love you" and how that changed her healing✨ What friends and family get wrong when someone's grieving, and what to say insteadIf you've ever felt like no one knows what to say to you—or you're the one who doesn't know what to say to someone else—this episode is for you.Connect with Heidi:www.heididunstan.cahttps://www.instagram.com/leanintogrief/www.facebook.com/leanintogriefhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-dunstan/Learn more about Letters of Light 💌✨ https://lossesbecomegains.com/lettersSupport the showLetters of Light 💌✨ https://lossesbecomegains.com/lettersSupport the podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/lifewithgriefpodcast📖 Life Beyond Grief Substack: https://taraaccardo.substack.com/Connect with me:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lossesbecomegains/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewithgriefpodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/losses.become.gainsWebsite: https://lossesbecomegains.com/Work with me one-on-one: https://lossesbecomegains.com/work-with-taraShop the LBG Daily Journal: https://lossesbecomegains.com/journalBy accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents are the property of Tara Accardo, or used by Tara Accardo with permission. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purpo...