41 - I Don't Feel Like Myself Anymore | Identity After Loss

Send us Fan MailEpisode 41: When you don't feel like yourself After loss, there comes a moment many widowers quietly experience: you look in the mirror, go to work, attend a family event, or scroll through old photos and think... I don’t even recognize myself anymore.In this episode, Jamal and David explore the identity disruption that often follows the death of a spouse. They discuss how grief changes more than your emotions—it changes your routines, your priorities, your relationships, your confidence, and sometimes even your personality. From feeling disconnected in social situations to realizing that the version of yourself before loss lived in a completely different reality, they share personal stories about navigating the uncomfortable space between who they were and who they are becoming.Together, they examine why trying to "get back to normal" can keep us stuck, what makes identity loss so difficult to recognize, and how growth often begins before we're even aware it's happening. This conversation is a reminder that you are not broken, lost, or failing. You are adapting to a life you never asked for—and rebuilding an identity that can honor the past while embracing the future.Getting Back Up: Finding Life After Death is a podcast that explores the raw, unfiltered reality of surviving profound personal loss—and finding a way forward.  The idea for the podcast was born after David and Jamal met in 2023. Both widowers, who had lost their wives to cancer, quickly found a deep connection through multiple conversations about pain, perseverance, and parenthood. They realized that while men often bond over music, sports, or TV, they rarely speak candidly about loss or emotional recovery. Getting Back Up was created to change that narrative—blending the everyday with the existential in a format that’s as relatable as it is real. Getting knocked down is part of life. Getting back up is how we live. Hosts: David McClain & Jamal JonesExecutive Directors: Marlon Jackson & Ted Winners (Like A Gazelle Productions)Editing: Marlon JacksonMusic: Grenada, "Treasure" McDonald, Otis, "Phife for Life", otismusic.comThank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram/TikTok @getbackuppodcast and on X @GBUpodcast