Episode 2: Christine Dusang Tells Us All About Her Decision to Go Back To School After The Loss of Her Husband
Listen to the full interview here!
Christine Dusang
“What is my purpose?'“
“What do I want from this life?”
These are questions that we face as widows.
Christine Dusang made the decision to go back to school and become a therapist after her husband died after a battle with cancer. She was a busy raising two active daughters, but found the time and made it a priority to further her education. She shares the heartbreaking story of her husband’s journey through battling cancer and how being a full-time caregiver takes its toll on every aspect of a family. She opens up about what it feels like to be a widow and how finding her purpose has brought her out of her deepest grief. I know you will be inspired by her story!
TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Normalcy is what kids need. Try your best to keep them on their regular schedule.
Keep therapy readily available to everyone in the family, even if they don’t feel like they need it regularly. Make it a safe place away from their mama to express themselves.
It’s normal for shock to wear off after about 6-8 months. That’s when you may start to see things unravel.
Don’t expect to know how to be a widow! You’re figuring it all out! And that takes time and it’s okay to make mistakes along the way.
Keep talking about him. That’s important for the kids healing to let them know that he’s still in your mind.
Don’t be afraid to cry or break down in front of the kids. You can be sad and mad and fall down but then you pick yourself up and you just keep going. JUST. KEEP. GOING.
Going back to school is a BIG decision so you want to involve the whole family in the decision. They need to know what a big commitment that is going to be for you and you need their support.
Christine put a lot of though into going back to school. She thought about her future and her girls going off to college and what her life would look like. She had to prioritize herself and find what she was passionate about.
If you find yourself questioning things like “Is it okay that I sleep til noon?” or “Is it okay that I don’t want to talk to my friends?” Her advice is this “For one year you get a hall pass and in that time you get to be whoever you need to be.”
Thank you so much for listening!
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Join us on Facebook in the Widow 180 Community with Jen Zwinck
We’re on Instagram too @widow_180
You can always email me at jen@widow180.com
