A Santa Clarita grief counseling expert is talking about the grieving experience that can come with turning 40 years old, specifically for women.

Sharon Brubaker, a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, noted that a 40th birthday often prompts women to look back on their life and start examining how they reached where they currently are.

“All the things that you wanted to be better, different or more; all the things I didn’t get a chance to do; why didn’t I do this?” Brubaker said, giving the example of someone who never finished college wondering what their life would be like if they had, or if not finishing had truly held them back in life at all.

Related: Santa Clarita Grief Counseling Expert: Dealing With Unresolved Grief

In Brubaker’s own life, she noted that entering her forties led her to constantly ask herself the question, “What is the mark that I’m going to leave on the world?”

“I was like, I want to leave this place better than I found it,” she recalled.

For Brubaker, it was the death of her young nephew, Austin, that helped her to realize her true calling: helping those who are grieving a loss of any kind find healing.

“He led me to Grief Recovery, and every time I help somebody with a broken heart, I know that I’m leaving this world in a better place than I found it,” Brubaker said. “For the first time, I felt like I actually found why I’m here. I truly know why I’m here.”

Jackie McDougal, founder of Forty-Thrive — an online community designed to connect women over 40 with experts, resources, programs and events tailored to their needs — added that she often sees grief stem from this same need for having a greater purpose in life with the women she encounters.

“People talk about comparison (being) the thief of joy right? (It’s) comparing yourself to your life 10 years ago and who you aren’t anymore. That’s where I think people get a little caught up,” said McDougal. “It’s completely normal to grieve what was once, … (but) it’s just not staying in that.”

While Forty-Thrive aims to inspire women in their forties to “really live and thrive, and not (just) survive,” according to McDougal, Brubaker noted that joining a grief group like Grief Recovery can help women navigate their emotions surrounding their 40th birthday, and find healing for whatever is causing their “broken heart.”

“When we embark on this journey of grief, we suddenly realize that we’re not ready; we’re ill-prepared to deal with it,” she said. “And having a guide to do that, it really makes a difference.”

Santa Clarita grief counseling expert Sharon Brubaker has over 11 years of experience as a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. The grief counseling expert specializes in the Grief Recovery Method in Santa Clarita, and offers an 8-week education program that she teaches in person, utilizing her free eBook titled “Grief Recovery.” As a grief counseling expert, Santa Clarita residents dealing with loss or other unfinished business who desire a lasting change can be guided on their journey of pain to find healing in their lives.

Sharon Brubaker

Certified Grief Recovery Specialist

27772 Avenue Scott

Valencia, CA 91355

661-212-0720

Sharon Brubaker, Valencia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYMz-g9Z-Fw

Grief, Santa Clarita Grief Counseling, Grief Counseling, Grief Recovery, Recovery, Sharon Brubaker, Dealing with Loss, Unfinished Business