Hello Fellow Griever— Welcome to this special Down the Rabbit Hole series I'm calling “Welcome to May – We’re All Mad Here.”  

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If you're new here, I’m Melissa, a suicide loss survivor and a bereaved mom myself. I’m also a grief coach, and the host of this podcast The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations podcast. And this month — this Mental Health Awareness Month — I’m doing something a little different.

Every. Single. Day... in May, I’ll be dropping a short, 3-to-5-minute episode in this series — just a few moments together. Just you and me — and the truth. Down the Rabbit Hole. 

Because let’s face it: grief isn’t polite. It’s not tidy. It doesn’t play by the rules, and it doesn’t give a damn what month it is. But we do. Because mental health matters every day, especially for us — grieving moms trying to make sense of a world that no longer makes sense.

You won’t get fluffy inspiration here. No sugar-coating. No cliches. Just honest reflection, a dose of real-talk, and a little bit of literary magic — courtesy of Alice in Wonderland.

I’ve always loved Alice. My regular listeners know I have a recurring segment called Down the Rabbit Hole — because that’s exactly what grief feels like, right? Disorienting. Upside-down. A little… mad.

So, I thought, what better way to explore the messiness of mental health after loss than through the curious, confounding, and oddly wise world of Wonderland?

Each day, I’ll share a quote from Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass — and use it as a springboard. Some days we’ll talk about identity. Some days we’ll talk about rage. About stigma. About drowning in your own tears. About not recognizing the person in the mirror anymore. It’s all fair game.

This is a space for truth. For reflection. For the hard stuff. And for the reminder that you are not alone — not in your madness, and not in your mourning.

So, if you're grieving — whether you're brand new to this or have been carrying your loss for years — I hope you’ll walk (or crawl) through this month with me. Listen in when you can. Save the episodes you need. Share them with another grieving heart.

We’re all mad here, after all — but we don’t have to be alone.

TODAY we discuss:

WEEK 1: We will discuss Identity & Transformation

Day 1: Quote: "Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle." The Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 2

• Reflect on how grief dismantles our identity.
• Offer simple grounding techniques. - 5-4-3-2-1 Technique, The focus on one thing technique AND the energy-fueled adrenaline-fueled activity.
• Taking care of YOU -- Plan even 10 minutes -- a bubble bath, a walk, reading your favorite book. 

So, that's all for now...that's the nugget to carry today

Take a breath. Take what you need. leave the rest. And come back tomorrow because, remember, you're not broken—you're grieving. And you're not alone in this madness. ---I'll be right here Talk Soon."

SEE YOU TOMORROW!!! 

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If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:
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