Living with An Open Heart

It wasn’t like me, but I let myself be vulnerable to someone by sharing a personal feeling without knowing how the person would react. They could reject it and never speak to me again, or a deeper relationship could begin. 

This is a big step when you’re grieving because you don’t have as many friends as before, because when you started talking about grief, some of your friends edged for the exits because death talk made them uncomfortable. Early in grief, when the darkness descends in mist, so many emotions are surging through you that you’re not sure what your main emotion is. You don’t want to frustrate your friends with inexactitude, but it seems like there are a dozen emotions all fighting for the top spot, so you talk about them all.

 

Grief and Emotions

When grief hits, we are pummeled by a range of emotions. We never knew we could feel so much, endure so much, or rage for hours until we were exhausted. Grief unleashes a barrage of emotions that short circuits our mind and leaves us sobbing on the floor. 

Men and Their Ocean of Emotions

(Finding grief books to recommend to you that were written by men continues to be a challenge. Of the books I’ve reviewed, 23 were by women but only 6 were by men. I have found women to be more honest, compassionate, and insightful. They speak of the heart, and not just what they thought. Through my blog, I am trying to overcome the male deficit, was well as share what all who grieve might find helpful. - Mark)

Sex is Not an Emotion

What do widowers want when they begin dating? 

My essay at the Good Men Project. 

I am grateful for Sarah Marty-Schlipf and Wendy Fontaine's insights.

https://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/sex-not-emotion-dg/

Helping Men Grieve

My new post at The Huffington on encouraging grieving men to share their emotions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-liebenow/we-need-to-encourage-grieving-men_b_9770988.html

Head and Heart Living

Some men, perhaps most, operate out of their heads first, and then, eventually, from their hearts.  




When a wife dies, men risk losing contact with their hearts. Some put up a wall that blocks grief out and bury themselves in their work. Other men try to think their way through grief, as if it was a logical problem to be solved instead of a process to be worked through. 




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