Krystle's Grief Journey: Losing Dad, Living With Anxiety, and Finding Help

Krystle from Grief Unfiltered shares a solo episode about her grief journey after her dad’s stage-four lung cancer diagnosis 13 days after the birth of her second daughter in 2015, and his death 10 months later. She describes years of worsening anxiety that began around her 2012 honeymoon, including panic attacks, severe agoraphobia, postpartum depression/anxiety, and later health anxiety that intensified after her dad’s decline and death. Krystle explains how avoidance affected daily life and parenting until her husband urged her to seek help; about two and a half years after her dad died, she started therapy, used grounding and exposure exercises, and gradually regained independence. In January 2022 she began sertraline, pushed through early side effects, and found medication plus therapy life-changing. She encourages listeners to seek support, find the right therapist fit, and care for themselves while honoring loved ones.

📌 Timestamps: 

00:00 Welcome to Grief Unfiltered

00:34 Why a Solo Story

01:34 Life Before the Loss

02:36 Anxiety Begins to Surface

04:32 Honeymoon Panic Trigger

06:55 Agoraphobia Takes Hold

07:47 Postpartum Struggles

10:01 The Cancer Phone Call

12:23 Stage Four Reality

15:19 Ten Months of Anticipatory Grief

17:12 Aftermath and Health Anxiety

20:28 Naming Anxiety and Hitting Bottom

21:46 Choosing Therapy

24:44 Therapy Tools and Small Wins

27:35 COVID and Setbacks

29:13 Trying Medication

30:53 Life Gets Lighter

33:26 What I Want You to Know

36:18 Support and Final Goodbye

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