Christine Baumgartner, a widow and professional dating and relationship coach provides an ongoing blog addressing the needs of widowers and their families as they try to adjust to the challenges of entering new relationships. Visit her blog at ThePerfectCatch.com and and read her bio here.
November 18, 2019
How to navigate the holidays With the holidays just around the corner, I’m starting to hear stories and questions on surviving the holidays from the people in my widowhood community. For instance, last week a widower told me he was finding it painful to make his own Thanksgiving… Read More
October 7, 2019
Are you getting ready to think about dating? Or maybe you’ve already put your toe in the water? Many widowers feel quite divided at this point – between the life they had with their late spouse and the new life they’re moving toward now. Read More
July 9, 2019
Among the many devastating changes that come with widowhood, one that often catches people completely by surprise is when one or more close friends leave. Most married couples have a few (or many) friends who are also couples. The relationship between couples may involve:… Read More
June 18, 2019
Sometimes widowers feel rather tentative about getting back out into the community after the death of their spouse. Just the thought of trying seems overwhelming. I had a client last week who was in this category. He definitely did not know how to begin. We got… Read More
May 21, 2019
When widows and widowers try moving forward with life, a multitude of feelings can suddenly make themselves known. These feelings vary a lot, depending on personality and situation. Here are some examples. See if any of these apply to you. Completely stuck You have the best… Read More
May 1, 2019
How to get through those hard anniversaries… that horrible first year I called them the “fierce-some firsts”: First Valentine’s Day. First Thanksgiving. First Christmas. First birthday (his). My birthday First birthday (the children’s). Read More
April 16, 2019
It’s important to have a ‘lifeboat’ prepared for those hard times In a recent post, I talked about how I like to visualize my mood as a buoy in the sea. There have been hard times in my life when ocean waves would wash over my buoy, but… Read More
April 9, 2019
In widow groups, I often hear people comment on how hard it is to adjust to “eating alone” and/or “cooking for one”. When this came up last week with a client, he and I decided we should brainstorm together and see what kind of options… Read More
March 26, 2019
Grieving is hard. It’s sad. It’s a lot of work! After my husband Tony died, if anyone had said to me, “There will ultimately be a positive side to his sudden death” – I think I would have punched them in the nose. Read More
March 5, 2019
“Am I a joy to be around?” Many people seek joy in their lives and wonder why they don’t attract it. In widowhood, it’s easy to get locked in a downward cycle. The less joy you feel, the more hopeless things can look. You may… Read More