S1:E17 Rediscovering Joy After Loss and Adversity

S1:E17 Rediscovering Joy After Adversity

In this episode of the Flourishing After Adversity podcast, host Laura Mangum Broome explores the profound question: 'Will I ever feel joy again after loss or setbacks?' 

Laura shares her insights on how grief reshapes our identity but doesn't erase it, and how rediscovering our inner strengths can lead to new, unexpected forms of joy. She discusses common traps that keep people stuck in grief and provides five practical steps to begin reclaiming joy in daily life. Laura also introduces her free guide, 'Reframe the Spiral: 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day,' and encourages listeners to take actionable steps towards healing and growth.

00:00 Introduction: The Hidden Question of Joy After Loss
00:35 Today's Topic: Finding Joy After Setbacks
00:56 Free Resource: Reframe the Spiral Guide
01:20 Understanding Grief and Loss of Joy
02:08 Redefining Joy After Loss
03:28 Personal Story: Finding Hope Through Tragedy
03:50 The iCope2Hope Framework: Discovering Your Superpowers
05:18 Practical Steps to Rediscovering Joy
07:40 Action Steps and Journal Prompts
08:23 Closing and Resources

Free Resource: Reframe the Spiral: 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day https://www.icope2hope.com/reframe

iCope2Hope 3-Step Resilience Framework: https://bit.ly/FrameworkRoadmap

Website: iCope2Hope: From Hardship to Hope https://www.icope2hope.com

Move Beyond Adversity Blog:  https://www.icope2hope.com/blog

Free Newsletter: Wednesday’s Resilient Recharge https://www.icope2hope.com/newsletter

Book a 15-min Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/icope2hope/15-min-call

Transcript

  

Introduction: The Hidden Question of Joy After Loss

Grief whispers that your laughter, your light, your hope were buried with what you lost. But what if joy is waiting to meet you again in a new form you haven't discovered yet? 

Welcome to the Flourishing After Adversity podcast. I'm your host, Laura Mangum Broome. If you've ever been knocked down by life- grief, illness loss, or unexpected change-you're in the right place. Here, setbacks become stepping stones because healing, growth and joy are just the beginning. 

Today's Topic: Finding Joy After Setbacks

In today's episode, we're going to talk about something most people are afraid to even ask out loud.  "Will I ever feel joy again after loss or setbacks?" by the end of this episode, you'll walk away knowing joy isn't what you lost, it's what you will discover again. New. Unexpected. Just as real. 

Free Resource: Reframe the Spiral Guide

But before we dive in, I have a resource I don't want you to miss.  Are you overwhelmed with negative thoughts after a setback? Then grab my free guide: Reframe the Spiral: 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day. These are the same tools I use when my thoughts feel heavy. You'll find the link in the show notes. 

Understanding Grief and Loss of Joy

That hidden question behind adversity.  When life shatters, silence can be deafening. You go through the motions, but everything feels muted. Joy seems like a stranger you once knew, but can't imagine meeting again.  And sooner or later the question creeps in:  What if I never feel joy again?  That's the hidden fear of grief. It's not only about what you lost. It's the haunting thought that the best parts of you-your laughter, your hope, your light we're buried too.

But here's what I've discovered through my own experiences. Joy is not gone. It's not something you return to. It's something new. Being born. 

Redefining Joy After Loss

Can old joy be recovered?  Think of joy like a song from your teenage years, the one you played with the windows down, singing at the top of your lungs. When you hear it now, it stirs something, but it doesn't land the same way. Because you've changed. Trying to force yourself back "into the old life" is like cramming into shoes that no longer fit. They served you then, but they're not built for where you're going now. Grief reshapes you, and that's why joy must be redefined.  How does grief redefine identity?  Grief isn't only about losing something or someone you loved. It's about losing part of yourself.  A spouse dies and suddenly you're no longer part of a couple. A child leaves home, and your daily role shifts. A divorce erases the picture you held for the future.

A health crisis strips away the version of you who felt strong and independent. No wonder joy feels unreachable.  But here's where hope comes in. Identity shifts. You're not erased. You're just reshaped. Asking, "Who am I now?" Is scary. But it's also the first step toward rediscovering joy.

Personal Story: Finding Hope Through Tragedy

I know this firsthand. When I lost my teenage son while going through breast cancer treatments, I thought joy was gone forever. But my superpowers-perseverance, faith, and hope-held me up.  They became roots I didn't realize were that deep. 

So how do you discover your superpowers?

The iCope2Hope Framework: Discovering Your Superpowers

This brings us to Step 2 of my iCope2Hope 3-Step Resilience Framework: Discover your Superpowers to Overcome Any Challenge.  Even in grief, your strengths remain. These are your unshakeable assets: skills from lived experience, talents that still flow naturally, passions that spark meaning even in small ways, character strengths like courage, kindness, and grit.  Like a palm tree in a hurricane, your roots hold even if the storm bends you low. 

Ask yourself these questions: What carried me through my last hardest season?  What have people always admired or thanked me for?  When I had nothing left, what part of me still showed up?  Those answers reveal your superpowers. If joy is possible, why does so many people feel trapped in grief?  Common traps include: Chasing old joy- trying to get back to normal.  Numbing the pain with busyness-distraction, or unhealthy habits.  Comparing timelines-believing  you should be further along.  Believing it's too late-especially for women in midlife who fear joy has passed them by.  But here's the turning point. Joy isn't something you go back to. It's something you redefine.

Practical Steps to Rediscovering Joy

Not what joy was, but what joy can be.  Joy after loss might look quieter, simpler, smaller. But smaller doesn't mean less real. It may be a sunrise walk instead of a crowded table. A small win you never thought to celebrate.  A new friend who sees you as you are now. 

Joy and grief can coexist. In fact, the deepest joy often grows from loss because it's seasoned with gratitude. 

How to imagine joy as something new.  Try this exercise. Close your eyes and picture yourself one year from now. Where are you? Who's with you? What makes you smile? Maybe it's sipping tea in a flower garden. Maybe it's holding a grandchild. Maybe it's laughing again, without guilt.  This isn't pretending the loss never happened. It's proof joy has not abandoned you. 

So how do you begin reclaiming joy? Here are five simple ways to start.  The first one is to name your superpowers. Write your strengths where you can see them.  Number 2, redefine joy for today. For example, joy used to look like a big family gathering. Today, joy might look like visiting my grown son and his family.  3. Create small joy habits. Light a candle, step outside in the sunshine, call a friend.    Number 4,  Share your strength with others. Mentor, volunteer, or share your story. Contributing to your community awakens joy. Number 5, imagine forward with hope. Each night, write one hopeful thing for tomorrow. These micro steps retrain your heart to notice joy again.  When I lost my son during my breast cancer chemo treatments, I thought joy was buried with him. But over time I discovered a different kind of joy. Smaller at first, rooted in gratitude and faith. Real and unexpected. That's why I believe with all my heart, joy is not what you lost. It's what you will discover again. 

Action Steps and Journal Prompts

Let's put it in action.  Grab a journal and spend 10 minutes with these prompts.  What strength helped me survive my last hardest season?  Where am I still using that strength today?  What new picture of joy can I begin to imagine now?  Today we uncovered why joy after loss is not about going back, but moving forward. How grief reshapes your identity but doesn't erase it.  The role of rediscovering your superpowers in building resilience.  Common traps that keep people stuck in grief.  Five simple ways to begin reclaiming joy in daily life. 

Closing and Resources

That's it for today's episode. If this encouraged you, please subscribe so you'll be notified when the next episode drops. And if you take a moment to rate or review the show, it helps others find us.  In fact, I'd appreciate you forwarding this episode to three of your friends who are in need of hope.  

Don't forget, you can grab my free guide: Reframe the Spiral: 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day. The link is in the show notes. 

And if you're ready to take the next step in rediscovering your strength, schedule a call with me. I'd love to walk alongside you.  Until next time, remember: adversity makes you bitter or better. Choose better.  You've got t