How to Love Fully When You Know Loss Is Coming [256]

How to Love Fully When You Know Loss Is Coming [256]

From Joy Lab Podcast by Henry Emmons, MD and Aimee Prasek, PhD

March 18, 2026 · 25 min · Episode 256

About this episode

This episode explores anticipatory grief and provides tools for coping with the emotional challenges of expected loss.

Grief doesn't wait for loss to arrive. Sometimes it shows up early — sitting beside you while someone you love is still right there. That's anticipatory grief, and if you've ever felt your mind drift to a future without someone while they're still in the room, you already know it. In this episode of Joy Lab, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek explore the Eighth Gate of Grief: the grief, stress, anxiety, and dread that can accompany an expected loss — whether that's a terminal diagnosis, a parent's cognitive decline, a marriage ending, or even broader fears about the world your kids will inherit. Anticipatory grief can be a mentally and emotionally exhausting experience, and it doesn't get nearly enough airtime in conversations about mental health. Importantly, this episode won't tell you how to stop anticipatory grief — because you shouldn't. Research suggests it can actually support healing. What it will give you: science-backed tools for staying present, a simple framework for saying what matters most before it's too late, and honest guidance on sustaining yourself through anticipatory grief. If anxiety, depression, or stress around future loss is weighing on you — or…

People in this episode

Hosts: Henry Emmons, MD, Aimee Prasek, PhD

Topics covered

  • anticipatory grief
  • mental health
  • emotional support
  • loss
  • healing
  • stress management

Keywords

  • grief
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • mental health
  • healing
  • loss
  • support

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