We all struggle, I'll be the first to admit, I do. Yet sadly, many of us desperately try to hide parts of our life from the world, especially those feelings we think are shameful or embarrassing after all, we just want to be accepted and fit in.

By the time we are adults , guaranteed we all will have experienced loss of various kinds. I'll bet you've probably felt many of those painful feelings, and it's OK to grieve all of those past losses no matter how big or small.

Having prolonged grief can cause people to feel a loss of their sense of meaning and purpose in life.  Even years after their loss, they can be in emotional pain and have difficulty moving on because, they feel stuck in a state if chronic grieving.

Death is part of living, but, when it's close to home it can leave us feeling vulnerable dealing with so many mixed and powerful emotions, anger, frustration, overwhelm, fear, and guilt. My personal experience dealing with the loss of my family, certainly taught me something about living and it enables me to cherish every moment of the life I have.

Emotional baggage, we ALL carry it to varying degrees... even YOU!... It's that imaginary backpack that we drag around with us and continually fill it up with anxieties, worries, inner criticism, and negative thoughts. It's those unprocessed painful emotions from past losses.

When I took the time to look back at my life, I realized that I had experienced so many losses, but never in a million years had I attached the word grief to any of those negative and painful feelings. It was only when my family died, that I allowed myself to acknowledge my emotional pain and call it grief.

This episode is dedicated to my big brother Steve. I think the death of a sibling is one of the most neglected losses. No matter what age you lose a sibling, and no matter what your relationship was like. When they die, your life changes.

Some friendships last for years and if your fortunate enough, others can last a lifetime. But, like most things in life, there are no guarantees when it comes to friendships. Some may end with a fight or betrayal a few just run their course, and sadly, some may end with death.

A breakup or divorce is one of the most stressful and emotional experiences, and for many people it can feel like the end of the world. Whether you wanted it or not, the breakup of a relationship can be heartbreaking and trigger so many upsetting and painful emotions.

Men grieve just as much as anyone. However, our society seems to expect them to ... stay strong ... suck it up and hold it all together. Sadly, by doing that, it means for many men, showing their emotions is a sign of weakness, and most of them have been conditioned and lied to since they were young boys.