176: Filling Your Toolbox with Marisa Koivisto
Welcome to another episode of the Grieving Moms Podcast. In today’s episode, we are joined by my friend, Marisa Koivisto. Join us as Marisa tells her story of her experience with grief and loss. The time when she was alone without support from people - being isolated from friends, family, and church - as she and her family lived far while her husband was serving in the US Navy. She shared her thoughts on realizing what really matters in life, how to move forward, and how self-care can be so meaningful.
We talked more about:
Grief
Marisa’s first experience of grief and that experience made her realize what death meant
Losing her daughter, Vera, and what did that look like for her. The anger she felt, the very short time Vera lived, and the memories saved.
Feeling the long-distance love, care, and prayers from across the country from family and friends.
The lack of empathy when Vera died and how they were treated like criminals within the military base to check if there was evidence of foul play
Therapy to Coaching
Marisa shared her experience with therapy/counseling. She decided she needed professional help before she got into a deep and dark place.
Taking over how grief impacts your life
The time where she had anxiety about going to counseling sessions as it wasn’t as fulfilling as needed in her life.
Coaching was a different tool to process her grief and what she was going through
Being open and honest with yourself and seeing what you need and finding the right tool
Continuing the Journey
Processing and experiencing her grief journey and being able to go back to the same base where everything happened
The importance of going through the experience herself first, not drawing any attention, and making it a private thing for her
Having the self-awareness of what you need today, what can you give and what can you let go of other people
How the retreat experience worked for her - having to have a toolbox full of tools and learning how and when to use them and applying these tools to know what works for you
Are you ready to stop cycling in the pain and anguish of grief? What if you could get a moment of calm and respite? After your child dies, everything feels hopeless and dark, and it’s hard to even think straight. Staying in survival mode keeps the cycle going.
Register to watch this free video on how to stop the pain, and feel better again.
