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‍May '26, Issue 1

‍Dear Visitor,

Grief has been very present in my life recently - not only because of the first anniversary of my mum's death last week.

Three weeks ago, my daughter lost a cousin - suddenly and tragically. And I’ve been trying to support not only my daughter through her grief, but also the mum, whom I’ve known since we first started dating the fathers of our children.

Only days later, grief also hit some of my closest friends in the Netherlands once again, and one of them is now facing serious health issues.

When grief finds grief

I'm not telling you this to make your grief feel small in comparison. Or to make your grief feel even heavier.

It’s simply that speaking to this grieving mum has reminded me so much of my own pain, confusion, and lack of understanding about the true impact grief had on me after my husband died.

And so I find myself gently sharing some of this hard-won wisdom with her - hoping it may help her make decisions that protect her wellbeing and reassure her that what she is experiencing is completely normal.

Back then, there were the five stages of grief - something I personally found utterly confusing and unhelpful, leaving me wondering time and again whether I was “grieving properly”.

That’s why I’m so passionate about sharing everything I’ve learned - through personal experience and years of studying the true, and often overlooked, impact of grief.

It’s also why I continue creating spaces where grieving people can feel understood, supported, and gently guided back towards themselves - through food, movement, shared experiences, and conversations that help bring clarity to what grief does to us.

‍Here are a few ways you can connect with me over the coming weeks:

• Tomorrow — my talk at York Main Library on the importance of eating well in grief and what “eating well” can realistically look like when you are struggling emotionally.
• 12th June — another Lottery-funded cooking workshop where we prepare my favourite 'survival dish' in a relaxed and supportive environment.
• Weekly Grief Yoga classes — gentle movement, breathing, and rest to help calm an overwhelmed nervous system and reconnect with the body in a compassionate way. Email me for more details. 
• My free eBook, “The Grief-Friendly Pantry” wiith practical tips for stocking your kitchen with inexpensive, nourishing foods that can make eating feel more manageable, especially on difficult days.

‍A final thought

When we don't understand the body's response to grief, we can end up interpreting symptoms as personal failure:

"I should be coping better"

"I should be functioning normally by now"

"Something is wrong with me"

When in reality, the system is doing exactly what it is designed to do under extreme pressure. It protects us by conserving vital energy, numbing the pain, stopping tears - in other words, downregulating key bodily functions to ensure we survive the impact. 

It's not possible to shortcut grief. But we can stop misunderstanding what it is doing to our body - and start supporting ourselves with the right tools to cope better through the hardest moments.

If this resonates, you’re welcome to share this with anyone who is struggling to understand why their body feels so unlike itself right now.

Much love,

Sabine

P.S. And Iif you haven't watched my recent webinar on grief, stress and the body yet, you can find it here.

‍Sabine Horner
77 Millfield Lane
York YO10 3AW
United Kingdom

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