Join this conversation about coping with separation from our loved ones at the end of life and practices to help us through these times of isolation.
For this episode I invited my friend Kirsten DeLeo to join me in a conversation about how we can all cope with the isolation and separation we are experiencing from our loved ones during this unprecedented time of global pandemic and quarantine. We address the pain of being unable to be at the bedside of a dying loved one or to care for the body after death due to our necessary isolation. Kirsten is the lead faculty of “Authentic Presence,” a training in contemplative care of the dying and the author of the book Present Through the End: A Caring Companion’s Guide for Accompanying the Dying. Learn more at her website:
This episode includes:
- This is a time of remembering that we are all truly connected around the world
- Staying in the present moment as an important mental health strategy during a time of crisis
- Tips for returning to the present
- Slow down
- Take a break from media
- Deep breaths
- Connection with nature
- Coping with uncertainty by staying grounded and centered
- Our deeper connections transcend the physical realm
- How to deal with fear when it overwhelms us
- Balancing the “terror of being alive” with the “wonder of being alive”
- Care packages for loved ones at a distance
- Practices at a distance:
- Unsealing the Spring (to express love)
- Unfinished Business (for forgiveness)
- Poetry
- Music
May a slow wind work these words of love around you, an invisible cloak to mind your life.
John O’Donohue
Links mentioned in this episode:
- FREE course on Advance Directives: www.eoluniversity.com/roadmapcourse
- Kirsten’s book: Present Through the End
- Ep. 214: Present Through the End – Spiritual Care of the Dying with Kirsten DeLeo
- John O’Donohue poem: A Blessing for the New Year
- Elgar’s Nimrod by Sheku Kanneh-Mason: YouTube video
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons: Jo Anna Dvorak and Emily Eliot Miller. Your contributions make all the difference!
