Grieving Apart
We are in unprecedented times, and as overwhelming as this can feel, we have the power within us to heal. Grief can be a disorienting and isolating experience at the best of times, and now it is being challenged with the complicating factors of physical distancing and health threats. It may be that you were unable to be with your loved one due to isolation rulings. It may be that you were unable to have a “Memorial Gathering” at this time due to limitations on indoor gatherings. These too are losses, that complicate the grieving and mourning process. So how does one navigate our losses during these challenging times?
First and foremost, it is important that we give ourselves permission to grieve by validating what you have gone through. This mindset will open you to Nature’s healing process. Now, with a heart open to honouring what you have been through, name the losses you are experiencing and beside each of those losses, name the feelings that you are experiencing as a result, remembering that there is no right or wrong feeling.
These feelings need to be acknowledged and expressed without judgment so they can be released.
Now, while safely acknowledging and expressing our emotions is necessary, it is also important to realize that grief not only affects us emotionally, but affects us physically, mentally, spiritually and socially as well. Creating a healing regime of self-care that nurtures each of these areas in your life will serve you well.
Ask yourself each day:
What will I do today that will nurture my body?
Eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, rest, exercise, deep breathing, and a healthy sleep routine.
What will I do today that will nurture my mind and thinking?
Be aware of your self-talk, and encourage yourself with kind, gentle healing af rmations.
What will you read? Watch? Focus on? Maybe try Visualization? Meditation?
What will I do today that will honour my emotions and support me processing them?
Talk, journal, write a tribute to your Beloved, write a letter to your Beloved; draw, play music, exercise, create, “ex-press”.
What will I do today that will nurture my spirit?
Music? Nature? Pets? Friends? Meditation? Prayer? Do at least one thing that is personally “uplifting.”
What will I do today that will nurture me socially?
Phone...Text...Facetime...Online chat?
Even in unprecedented times such as these, there is a path you can take that will lead you to healing. Take it.
Jones-Parkview Funeral Services | Moose Jaw | 306.693.4644 or 306.694.5500 | wjjonesandson.com | jonesfh106@gmail.com