Welcome to May 8; "We're All Mad Here" DAILY Mental Health Nugget

“Hello --It is May 9th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 2: Madness & AcceptanceDay 9: Today’s truth is: "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Idea: Rebuilding belief in hope.After loss by suicide, hope can feel offensive. Or even dangerous. Like you’re betraying your grief by reaching for more.But maybe hope isn’t a lie. Maybe it’s a like muscle — one you can stretch without obligation - one that over time, can become strong again. While practicing hope may indeed sound mad, I want to challenge you to do that. To allow it to show up, even consider looking for it -- maybe even just a glimmer because that's all we need to remember it's there sometimes.Today, think of one impossible thing you want to believe again... That joy is still possible. That your life has purpose. That your loved one's love lives on.You don’t have to fully believe it yet. Just name it. That naming? That’s how hope begins. So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 8th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 2: Madness & AcceptanceDay 8: Today’s truth is: "We're all mad here"  Idea: Grief is disorienting—but you’re not alone.  When we lose a child, we enter a parallel universe — one where love and pain are inseparable, and where ‘madness’ starts to feel like reality.This isn’t a weakness. To do the work of grieving takes real strength. It’s not a flaw. It’s the cost of loving deeply and losing profoundly. It's a sacred rite of passage after loss and it will be woven into your life tapestry to carry forth with you for the rest of your journey. It is a gift - albeit one we didn't want or ask for - but that does not take away from its power to transform and shape us in incredible, even beautiful ways when we're ready.Today, let this quote be a badge of belonging. You’re not out of place. You’re just part of a club no one wants to join — but where every heart understands yours.Here, you don’t have to mask your pain. You get to speak it. And that’s sanity.So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 7th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 1: I discuss Identity & TransformationDay 7: Today’s truth is: "But I don't want to go among mad people." Idea: Feeling detached from the world. The world feels absurd after loss. People complaining about trivial things. Celebrating holidays. Asking you when you’ll be "back to normal."You might feel like a ghost — present, but not fully seen. And that’s a hard place to live from.But you’re not alone in that feeling. You’re not mad. You’re just grieving in a world that doesn’t understand how deep and wide this pain goes.Take the space you need. Say no. Opt out. Let your grief be your compass, not their comfort.There’s a strange kind of sanity in naming the madness. And you, my friend, are more sane than most.So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 6th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 1: I discuss Identity & TransformationDay 6: Today’s truth is: "A grin without a cat — the most curious thing!” ... Idea: Remnants of joy in sorrow.  Sometimes, joy appears when you least expect it. A smile sneaks out. A laugh erupts. And immediately, guilt tries to follow.But here’s the thing — joy doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten. It means you’re still human.Grief and joy can coexist. They often do. The depth of our sorrow reflects the depth of our love — and love makes room for light, even in the darkest places.So today, if a grin visits you — let it stay. Don’t question it. Don’t chase it away. Let it remind you: your soul still knows how to feel.So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 5th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 1: I discuss Identity & TransformationDay 5: Today’s truth is: "How puzzling all these changes are!" Idea: The disorientation of early grief.  Grief doesn’t just change our hearts — it changes our brains. Maybe you can’t concentrate. Maybe words slip away. Maybe everything feels upside-down. That’s normal.There’s nothing wrong with you. Your brain is doing the best it can to survive something it was never built for.Give yourself routines today. Anchor yourself with small rituals — a cup of tea, a walk at the same time every day, a five-minute check-in with yourself. These little things create steadiness when everything else feels like a storm.So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 4th and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 1: I discuss Identity & TransformationDay 4: Today’s truth is:  "I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself, you see." Idea: Losing your sense of self.Some days, it’s hard to even recognize ourselves. The person in the mirror looks the same — but feels completely unfamiliar. That’s not a failure. That’s grief. Grief is so disorienting....you are not crazy, it's grief.You might forget birthdays. Miss appointments. Say no to social events. Not because you don’t care — but because you’re not functioning in the same way. Your brain and your heart are overloaded.And while others may not understand, you don’t owe them explanations.Today, try offering yourself the compassion you would offer a dear friend. Maybe even say aloud: “Of course I’m not myself. I’m grieving.”And that’s more than okay.So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 3rd and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”WEEK 1: I discuss Identity & TransformationDay 3: Today’s truth from Alice is: “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”I want to say something bold: You will never be the same. That can sound terrifying. But maybe, just maybe, it can also be freeing.Because you don’t have to fit back into a life that doesn’t fit anymore. You can let go of expectations. You can be a new version of you — one that’s shaped by grief but also by love, resilience, and fierce mothering, or fathering, or sistering, or friending....whatever fits griever.Ask yourself today: Who am I becoming? And what part of the old me am I ready to release? How about that as a journal prompt --- or a thought prompt for meditation or a moment of reflection? So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

“Hello --It is May 2nd and welcome to Wonderland Fellow Griever. — “You’ve just stepped Down the Rabbit Hole — where mental health meets madness after loss. Let’s get real, together. This is your daily dose of truth, grief, and yes, just the right bit of madness.”Welcome to Day 2. Our Quote today is is from Ch 5 of The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland: "I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then."If that doesn't scream grief, I don't know what does. One hour, we're numb. The next, we're crying in the car. The next — somehow — laughing at a meme. And then we feel guilty for laughing. Grief is emotional whiplash. It doesn't follow a script, and it sure as hell doesn't care about timelines. So here's your permission: let it change. Let you change. We just decide -- we choose -- to change. Yes, it will take time to set into habit, but we have all month together and there's no time like the present as they say!If it helps, try tracking your mood today — not to fix it, but to witness it. Try adding you 'mood of the day' to your journal all month -- or write it in your daily planner. You can look back at months end. You might be surprised by what shifts — and by what stays. No judgment. Just compassion.So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."[P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you for helping, everything counts]SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the show

Hello Fellow Griever— Welcome to this special Down the Rabbit Hole series I'm calling “Welcome to May – We’re All Mad Here.”  [P.S... Like this podcast? Support the show by clicking...thank you]If you're new here, I’m Melissa, a suicide loss survivor and a bereaved mom myself. I’m also a grief coach, and the host of this podcast The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast. And this month — this Mental Health Awareness Month — I’m doing something a little different.Every. Single. Day... in May, I’ll be dropping a short, 3-to-5-minute episode in this series — just a few moments together. Just you and me — and the truth. Down the Rabbit Hole. Because let’s face it: grief isn’t polite. It’s not tidy. It doesn’t play by the rules, and it doesn’t give a damn what month it is. But we do. Because mental health matters every day, especially for us — grieving moms trying to make sense of a world that no longer makes sense.You won’t get fluffy inspiration here. No sugar-coating. No cliches. Just honest reflection, a dose of real-talk, and a little bit of literary magic — courtesy of Alice in Wonderland.I’ve always loved Alice. My regular listeners know I have a recurring segment called Down the Rabbit Hole — because that’s exactly what grief feels like, right? Disorienting. Upside-down. A little… mad.So, I thought, what better way to explore the messiness of mental health after loss than through the curious, confounding, and oddly wise world of Wonderland?Each day, I’ll share a quote from Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass — and use it as a springboard. Some days we’ll talk about identity. Some days we’ll talk about rage. About stigma. About drowning in your own tears. About not recognizing the person in the mirror anymore. It’s all fair game.This is a space for truth. For reflection. For the hard stuff. And for the reminder that you are not alone — not in your madness, and not in your mourning.So, if you're grieving — whether you're brand new to this or have been carrying your loss for years — I hope you’ll walk (or crawl) through this month with me. Listen in when you can. Save the episodes you need. Share them with another grieving heart.We’re all mad here, after all — but we don’t have to be alone.TODAY we discuss:WEEK 1: We will discuss Identity & TransformationDay 1: Quote: "Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle." The Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 2Reflect on how grief dismantles our identity.Offer simple grounding techniques. - 5-4-3-2-1 Technique, The focus on one thing technique AND the energy-fueled adrenaline-fueled activity.Taking care of YOU -- Plan even 10 minutes -- a bubble bath, a walk, reading your favorite book. So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry todayTake a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! __________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada ORSupport the show

Today I share a recent chat with Larry Carlat. He is a writer, author, a retired editor, a grief coach -- and the bereaved father of Rob, his son who died by suicide. This is life after suicide in a packed-full-of lived-experience-wisdom and hope-filled conversation. One of the chapters in his book "A Space in the Heart" is called The Soul Knows When It's Time to Go...and you can listen to us discuss this, and synchronicities, and our kids being connected to other parents (deceased) kids, and hopelessness and hopefulness and So. Much. More!!! Oh .... and we both lean into CHOICES as a big part of this journey, especially after year one.His book is an incredible read and an even better 'helper' as a way to make it through, day by day, 'poco a poco' as I now say...In the book he breaks it down like this: Part One - is The End of Your Life (as you know it)Part Two -- is The Middle (moving through grief)Part Three - is The beginning (of creating this new life)He reads several parts of this incredible book including one called "We are Extraordinary Parents" (versus extra ordinary) and do stay until the end and hear "Parts of You" and "A Little Reminder" at the end.... which isn't the actual end...you will want to read it over and over but go get it!A Space in the Heart Book; A Survival Guide for Grieving Parents his bookGrief for Guys 1:1 Coaching for MenOur House Grief Center LA__________________________________________________________________________My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.PS....The Legacy Writing Project in 2024 has finished. Volume 5 is out in the world ...GET ON THE LIST NOW for the SINGLE DATE start for 2025 OR FUTURE PROJECTSFor a way to leave a Legacy of your child - GO HEREIf you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:CALL 988 in the US or Canada OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA & CanadaSupport the showSupport the show