Ellen Gerst

Ellen Gerst is a Life Coach who specializes in grief and relationships, an author, and speaker. Widowed young at the age of 39, she writes from a “been there/done that” perspective. Losing her husband to suicide after 20 years of marriage set her on a path to finding her true self and the inner strength she possessed. She shares both her journey and her perspective on how to move gracefully and successfully through the grief journey. She is the author of “Suddenly Single," which is a compendium of articles covering the practical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the grief journey. She went on to capture the continuation of her story in the sequel to "Suddenly Single," aptly named: “Love After Loss: Writing The Rest of Your Story.” “Love After Loss” is a blueprint on how one can find new love after the loss of a partner from death, divorce, or break-up. It includes coaching exercises; how to Internet date; and how to have a healthy and successful relationship – all intertwined with true life dating tips and stories. Ellen has penned many other books on coping with grief, as well as others on such subjects as dating and relationships, caregiving for aging parents, spirituality, confidence building, the power of positive thought, suicide awareness, teen pregnancy prevention, fitness and weight loss, and social media and networking. She is also the co-editor of an anthology of real life changing stories, “Thin Threads of Grief & Renewal.” The stories tell of untold grief and how each author found personal renewal after his/her great loss. It is an inspirational volume for those mourning any sort of loss. To listen to Ellen's radio show: Click Here Visit Ellen on her website at http://www.LNGerst.com where she has various free downloads on coping with grief and finding love after loss. Join Ellen on Facebook for every day tips on finding love after loss and coping with grief. Finding Love After Loss http://bit.ly/cxipZ0 Words of Comfort To Pave Your Journey Of Loss http://www.facebook.com/WordsOfComfortToPaveYourJourneyOfLoss

Articles:

Reconciling Your Past, Present and Future After Loss

When you’re mourning the loss of a loved one, it’s very natural and easy to get trapped in your memories of the past and how things used to be. Let’s take a moment to examine your past, as well as the present and the future, and how this exercise can help you to better understand the grief process. If you will, imagine your past, present and future like three pieces of paper all tied together with a string running through the middle of each. If you were to pick up one end of the string and dangle it in the […]

Conscious Uncoupling aka Readjusting the Picture of Your Late Spouse

Conscious Uncoupling. This is the new buzz word that is getting lots of play due to the announcement of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin about their upcoming divorce. This concept is actually the brainchild of Katherine Woodward Thomas, a licensed psychotherapist who coined it to describe how she approached her own divorce process. I may not have come up with such a catchy phrase, but I’ve been preaching for years about successfully moving forward through your grief by making conscious decisions, which includes conscious uncoupling from a late spouse. In fact, the latter is a necessary step to take AFTER […]

Redefining Your Life After The Loss of a Spouse

The inconceivable has occurred – your partner has died. Perhaps, it was sudden and unexpected. However, even if it took place after an illness or at an older age, your loss surely came too prematurely from your point of view. Your life is now changed forever. Consequently, you may feel that you have also lost your purpose and, certainly, you’re confused about what role you should play in the world going forward. For example, you’re no longer a wife or a husband, but you sure feel like one. Through your fog of grief, it can be nearly impossible to envision a […]

My Father’s Legacy: Respect, Hard Work, Love of Country

My father was an immigrant who came to the United States when he was 15 years old. As he did not speak a word of English, he joined the kindergarteners in learning the language. Each month, as his skills improved, he was bumped up a grade until he finally arrived at the appropriate level and was speaking fluent English. Until I was in 10th grade, I never realized that he spoke with a slight accent. I had interviewed him for a history project, An Immigrant’s Point of View, and, when I played the tape to the class, the first remark […]

Despite Husband’s Death, He’s ‘Always There’

When my late husband committed suicide, it felt as if I died too. The searing pain pierced my heart so deeply that I felt disconnected from everyday life. I would watch the world go by as if it were a movie, and I did not have a part. However, my two children needed my caring attention, so I walked through life accomplishing the necessary tasks. However, when I was alone at night and in the confines of my bedroom, I would incessantly replay my life in my mind’s eye like a never-ending rerun. Over time, I was finally able to […]

Grief Process: Asking the Profound Questions

One way to successfully travel the road of grief towards renewal is to afford yourself an appropriate amount of time for introspective thought. Richard Bach suggests asking yourself questions. He says, “The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.” Let’s look at each of these questions from two perspectives as I illustrate how you can answer them simply or delve for a deeper meaning. Where Were You Born? Taken at face value, this […]

Holiday Gift: Take Care of Yourself

The holidays are almost here, and you might be sitting there and wondering, “How am I ever going to get though this time?” You may also be secretly thinking to yourself, “There is no way that I can possibly muster up enough strength or energy to make this a happy time for my children. God knows, it certainly won’t be that way for me.” Take heart; these thoughts may only be partially true. Although it can never be the same as it was, it is possible for you to experience a meaningful holiday season. It will just be in a […]

How ‘Surrender’ May Help You Recover

Webster’s Definition of Surrender: To give oneself over to something (as an influence); to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another. Synonym: Relinquish — give up; to withdraw or retreat. Sometimes grief is so painful and your loss so deep that you might want to surrender to your darkest emotions, but society tells you “you must be strong.” What if society’s definitions of weak and strong are incorrect? What if being stoic or strong is really weak because it avoids dealing with one’s true emotions? What if surrendering to how you really feel is the […]

Grief and the Holidays: You Can be ‘Master of Your Emotions’

The word “anniversary” takes on a whole new meaning for widow/ers, or for any griever. An anniversary date is any meaningful date to you and your loved one. The hardest anniversary date usually is the one that commemorates the day of the death. There have been many psychological-based articles written on the importance of the one year marker. Do not be fooled that at one year all your grief will magically dissipate, and you will be ready to move on with your life. Please do not misunderstand me. The one year anniversary is a very important date. It is a […]

Easing Your Loss During the Holiday Season

Sometimes loss is so devastating it sends you into a seemingly never-ending downward spiral. Do you often find yourself descending into darkness rather than looking for the positive ray of sunshine present in every situation? Try to remember that every event in life is neutral. It is neither good nor bad, positive nor negative, happy nor sad. It is you, and your response, which gives meaning to the event. I do not mean to minimize the death of a spouse, or any loss for that matter. However, you can look at the “event” as the most horrible thing that happened […]

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