Moving Into Survivor Citizenship
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Moving Into Survivor Citizenship
INSIDE LOOK Newsletter
MWC MONTHLY TOPIC
Survivor Mission with a Twist
Our June 2023 topic is found under our Purpose and Meaning Pillar of Healthy Widowhood. Modern Widows Club Founder Carolyn Moor shares a preview of this month’s video:
What is a survivor mission, you ask?
The late Dr. Steven M. Southwick, who wrote Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges, said a survivor mission is when one finds meaning in the trauma they’ve experienced.
Modern Widows Club is featured in the third edition of the book (September 7, 2023; now available for preorder) as an example of a community of women on survivor missions.
To find meaning in their experience, most people on a survivor mission possess a knowing that they can — and will — move into survivor citizenship by moving through their trauma and becoming givers to the community.
They might, for example, become community leaders, change agents, or future peer supporters. Survivors find networks, like we have here at Modern Widows Club, to encourage forward movement after their lives were shattered. In communities such as these they find tools to overcome, then come back to serve as a role model for others — a living example of survivorship.
Click below to watch Carolyn’s video.
MWC SPECIAL EVENT
Coach-a-Thon 1:1 Interactive Q&A
On June 13 from 8–9pm ET, join us for this special opportunity for a 1:1 mentoring conversation with Carolyn Moor. All widows are welcome.
Please bring your question for Carolyn, which you can ask publicly or privately.
After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details about joining the meeting.
The session won’t be recorded, so please register in advance — and don’t forget to mark your calendar. We look forward to seeing you there.
#WIDOWSDAY
International Widows Day is June 23
International Widows Day is an important opportunity to recognize and honor not only the millions of widows in the United States, but the hundreds of millions of widows around the world. Although the observance is not yet recognized by the U.S. government, organizations such as Modern Widows Club that work in the widowhood space know how important it is to commemorate the day.
MWC #WidowsDay on Social Media
We envision a world where every widow is valued as a human being and seen as a vital part of their family, work life, and community.
Please join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter on Friday, June 23 in honor of International Widows Day.
We have some special things to share with you, plus an exciting announcement!
2023 International Widows Day Forum
Modern Widows Club and Global Fund for Widows invite you to join us in Washington, DC for the 2023 International Widows Day Forum. Panelists will discuss both national and international widowhood issues of importance to highlight necessary policy equality for challenges faced by widows. Click here for more details.
MENTORING PROGRAM
Are You Looking for Hope, Healing, and Growth in Widowhood?
What are your hopes for your new life?
How can you find healing?
How can you experience growth during this time in your life?
How can you find solid ground, alignment, and connection to feel confidence in your thoughts and actions?
How can you discover your strong center axis and rebuild your life?
Carolyn Moor’s powerful 6-month mentor-led PIVOT Program is for all widows looking to lead their new life with a healthy, holistic mindset and forward momentum.
Are you ready?
WELLNESS WINDOW
Eating Mindfully
By Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, ACSM-CPT
Recently, I spoke at MWC’s 2023 Virtual Widow Empowerment Event about emotional eating, satiety, and eating more mindfully. During times of stress and grief it is difficult to follow our hunger and fullness cues, whether that’s eating when we are not hungry due to being sad, angry, anxious, etc., or because stress has shut down our hunger mechanism. When my husband was dying and after he passed, I found that I was losing weight, but in more recent years I turn to chocolate and other comfort foods as my main stress reliever.
It is so easy to use food (and alcohol) as a tool to try and relieve stress. The reality is that it doesn’t actually relieve stress, and only provides temporary comfort. In fact, it can increase emotional and physical stress by leading to feelings of guilt and shame or contributing to health problems over time.
Tara Gidus Collingwood is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, and fellow Wister. You can find her at dietdiva.net.
#COMMUNITY
Virtual Community and Support Group in Spanish/en Español
Our support groups provide a safe place for widows to talk and share, create friendships, and encourage and support one another.
Our Virtual Community in Spanish meets on Zoom the first Saturday of each month. No matter how long it’s been since you became widowed, we’re here to support you on your hope, heal, grow, and lead pathway in widowhood.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Being There For a Fellow Widow
By Jeanne Gormick
Sharing experiences and memories with another widow and being there to provide support helps you both.
When a widow starts her grief journey, she does it as a single person. She is no longer a couple. She begins living her new normal and will need the support of others who have travelled this path. Typically, only a fellow widow can fully understand this unique journey. That’s why supporting one another is essential.
Listening and mutual sharing is an important place to begin. It is likely that only you know what another widow needs to hear. Sometimes even close friends or those at work don’t know what to say or are afraid they will say the wrong thing. Though they want to help and often really do care, they just don’t know how to reach out. Sometimes, just listening is all a widow needs.
Jeanne Gormick is a speaker and author of Your Treasured Marriage. Her greatest achievement is a 50-year marriage to her beloved late husband Cal. The book tells their story.
PODCAST
Carolyn Moor on Healthy Love and Money Podcast
Carolyn Moor was a recent guest on the Healthy Love and Money podcast with host Ed Coambs. They spoke on the topic “How The Modern Widows Club Transforms Profound Pain into Life Purpose.”
From Healthy Love and Money:
Listen in as Carolyn does a deep dive into the unique needs and experiences of widows. She reflects on her endlessly-inspiring story from becoming a mentor to a leader to a global advocate for widows everywhere.
Carolyn explains how Modern Widows Club has pioneered what she calls “the healthy widow pathway forward” and created “the grief to growth bridge” to help widows everywhere hope, heal, grow, and lead.
MWC BOOK CLUB
Join Us for Our June Book Club
Our virtual Book Club for widows meets on Zoom the third Monday of each month. Our next meeting is June 19 at 8pm ET, when we’ll be discussing The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom.
What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared? In this novel, a group of shipwrecked passengers pull a man from the sea. He says he’s “the Lord.” And that he can save them, but only if they all believe in him. A novel of hope and faith that may make you ponder your own beliefs, The Stranger in the Lifeboat suggests that answers to our prayers may be found where least expected.
Click to sign up for our Book Club, then join us June 19 for a thoughtful discussion.