E27: What Is “Meta Grief”? A New Term for Grief Exhaustion, Burnout, and Being Tired of Grieving

Written By Shelby Forsythia

Have you ever felt like you're grieving not just a loss, but grieving grief itself? In this episode, I introduce the term “meta grief”—the invisible sorrow that comes from being tired of grieving, worn down by ongoing tragedy, or overwhelmed by the endlessness of loss. If you’ve felt grief fatigue or wondered how long this will last, this episode is for you.

You’ll learn:

  • What meta grief means and why I created the term

  • How grief fatigue, burnout, and despair show up in everyday life

  • Why it’s normal to feel overwhelmed by ongoing personal or global loss

  • The hidden grief of knowing there’s always more grief to come

  • How to cope when you're sick and tired of grieving

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Download the transcript for this episode here.

Shelby Forsythia

Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions.

Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they’ve faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.

https://www.shelbyforsythia.com
Next

E26: 6 Grief Metaphors That Finally Put Words to What You’re Feeling