On this month's episode, Heather and Marie both called in.
Crystal first chatted with Heather, who shared that her mother passed away this past April after being sick, quadriplegic, and dependent on Heather for a long time. Heather feels as though she's struggling to do everything right now — taking care of her four young sons, trying to be there for her dad and family, and meanwhile, on top of a million responsibilities, missing her mom so much. Crystal has Heather tap deeper into her grief and uncovers that deep down; she feels angry at her mom for being sick and accepting her illness — feeling as though she never actively tried to get better. And then, in turn, Heather feels guilty and angry at herself for being angry with her mom. Heather shares that she feels hurt and robbed that she will never have that true unconditional love from a female again, something she cherished with her mom. Crystal helps Heather let go of the stuff that kept her from fully grieving her mother and see that she needs to prioritize herself and self-care and ask for help more often.
After a great chat with Heather, Marie joins the line. She shares that she is feeling deeply lost and stuck. She feels as though she's spent her life taking care of everyone else. As a single mom who raised three kids on her own, now in their 20's and doing great, this past year found herself homeless due to the pandemic. Having lost her good-paying, full-time job in a surgical room, to then losing her beautiful property and home, Marie describes it like dominos falling. After living in her car for some time this past year, she was offered a job as a live-in caretaker, where she's fed and housed. From dealing with a sick and senior man to another young man with bipolar disorder living in the house, Marie feels very unhappy. She's not sure where things got so bad, but she knows her drinking is part of the problem and keeping her stuck. Crystal helps Marie see her options, put some concrete next steps in place and helps her to understand that we always have a choice. As Crystal always says, "empowerment is choice. When you think you have no choice, you disempower yourself."
