Grief is the New Normal Podcast: S3E17 Why Do I feel Everything at Once? Where Grief Gets Messy

Grief is not just sadness. It is rage, relief, guilt, numbness, joy, and everything in between, often all in the same afternoon. In this episode, Dr. Heather Taylor continues her six-part series on common grief reactions by unpacking the emotional chaos of grief and why it is not only normal, it is expected. If you have ever cried in the car and then laughed twenty minutes later and felt terrible about it, or waited for the "real" feelings to arrive and felt scared when nothing came, this episode gives you language for what is actually happening and permission to stop judging yourself for it. In this episode you will learn: Why grief is not an emotion but a container for all of your emotions Why joy, laughter, and relief during grief are not betrayal, they are adaptive How Stroebe and Schut's dual process model explains the emotional whiplash of grief Why some feelings arrive months or years late, and what that actually means The taboo grief feelings nobody talks about: relief, anger, guilt, numbness, and joy How to use the STAY framework to track specific losses and allow emotional complexity Why moving emotions through the body matters as much as processing them mentally How to find the right witnesses for your grief and why that changes everything Feelings and concepts discussed: Sadness, rage, guilt, relief, numbness, joy, emotional whiplash, delayed grief, disenfranchised grief, grief as a container, affect labeling, completion cycles, grief witnesses. Story Time with Heather: Dr. Taylor shares a personal story about training for a half marathon after her heart failure diagnosis and the unexpected emotional release that came with crossing the finish line, a powerful example of delayed grief finding its moment. Resources and concepts mentioned: George Bonanno: variability in bereavement and emotional trajectories Stroebe and Schut: dual process model of bereavement Kenneth Doka: disenfranchised grief Daniel Siegel: affect labeling and the prefrontal cortex The Dougy Center: grief is contextual The STAY Framework: Track the Loss, Allow Complexity This is Part 2 of 6 in the Grief Reactions Series: Part 1: Physical | Part 2: Emotional | Part 3: Cognitive | Part 4: Behavioral | Part 5: Spiritual and Existential | Part 6: Social Episode Timestamps: 00:00 Grief Is the New Normal 00:54 Emotional Chaos Explained 02:09 The Myth That Grief Should Look Like Sadness 03:58 Joy, Guilt, and the Emotional Waves 06:29 Numbness and Delayed Grief Reactions 08:43 Story Time with Heather: The Half Marathon 13:32 Taboo Feelings: Relief, Anger, Guilt, and More 17:26 What To Do With Your Grief Feelings 19:40 Practical Anchors and Finding Your Witnesses 21:25 Weekly Reflection and Invitation 23:31 Next Episode and Wrap Up ----------------- Grief is not a problem to solve. It is a human experience to move through, and most of us were never taught how. Grief is the New Normal is hosted by Dr. Heather Taylor, licensed psychologist and grief specialist with over a decade of experience in grief, trauma, and reproductive psychology. This show exists to change the conversation around loss by expanding what grief looks like, who it belongs to, and what it actually means to integrate it into your life. Whether you're grieving a death, a diagnosis, a relationship, an identity shift, or the world as you knew it, your grief is real, it deserves space, and you are not behind. And if you're a clinician, coach, or helper carrying your own grief while holding space for others, this show was built for you too. Dr. Taylor brings research-informed frameworks, honest clinical perspective, and the STAY framework, a grief-informed approach to living with loss that goes far beyond the five stages. Expect nuance, depth, and conversations that take grief seriously. No toxic positivity. No fixing. Just honest conversation, real validation, and a community built around grief literacy, disenfranchised grief, anticipatory grief, collective grief, and the full spectrum of human loss. grief support podcast · disenfranchised grief · anticipatory grief · grief after loss · grief for clinicians · grief-informed care · grief literacy · coping with grief · grief and identity · mental health and grief · reproductive grief · pet loss grief · collective trauma and grief ·  grief integration · STAY framework New episodes dropping regularly Connect with Dr. Heather Taylor: Website: griefisthenewnormal.com Instagram: @grief_is_the_new_normal Substack: How We STAY with Grief https://drheathertaylor.substack.com/ Newsletter: Bridging the Grief Gap on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-taylor-psyd-licensed-psychologist/ Journal: Authentically Unapologetic, available on Amazon https://a.co/d/0dM0DloC Contact: [email protected] This episode is sponsored by Oasys EHR. Try Oasys free for your first month. Use code HEATHER-2865 at oasysehr.com. Music by The Dadicorns. Copyright 2026.