subject: About Grief: How To Deal With Grief And With Loss Part 2 [print this page] Loss is a part of life that we cannot escape, as we discussed in Part 1. But why is it so hard? What can we do make dealing with loss easier? What can we do to make dealing with grief easier? Here are a few suggestions for you:
* Accept your feelings, particularly of grief, and know that they will pass eventually, even if you want to wallow in them. It is a natural progression, so let it take place. You will be okay... not right away, but eventually. You can't spend the rest of your life wandering around your house hugging yourself and crying.
* Light a candle before you go to bed and spend fifteen minutes just feeling your feelings. Cry, shout, sob, or whatever you need to do. You can also incorporate some journal or poetry writing into this time. Regular time to grieve will help you move forward and keep you functioning the rest of the time. Sometimes, dealing with other people's sympathy is really difficult, and this will help you put on a brave face.
* Reach out for support. Join a prayer or meditation group or find a counselor. They may know more about loss than you do. Get a massage or Reiki healing treatment for relaxation. Realize that your grief will manifest itself physically and emotionally, so tend to both your body and spirit to ease the grief pain.
* Undertake exercise that you enjoy. The rush of feel-good hormones will steady those feelings of gloom and doom and give you an energy boost through this trying time. Plus you'll be doing something good for your body instead of turning to alcohol, sugar, or other addictions.
* Never underestimate the ability of your angels, spiritual guides and teachers, and Higher Power to support you! Sit down, clear your mind, and ask for assistance from your spiritual helpers. Place your hands palm up so you can feel their presence with you.
* If you lost a person, try to connect to them spiritually. If they loved to dance, dance in your living room. If they loved to sing, sing their favorite song. Honor them by cooking their favorite food or wearing their favorite color. We don't have to forget that person to release the pain of their loss.
* Go out and be in nature. Even just lazing in the grass and staring up at the sky puts you closer to the Divine. If you don't want anyone to see you cry, go outside at night and sit under the starry sky. Moon or no moon, you will feel the power of the Divine.
* Volunteer! Just like the volunteers down in the Gulf, giving your time and energy may get your mind off of your loss, even if you are in the middle of it. Or if you don't want to be around people, volunteer at an animal rescue or shelter; you never know, you might bring home a furry comforter! Striving to make the world a better place will help you feel better.
* Resist patterns of negative thinking. Instead of asking, "Why did this happen to me?" or "How am I going to survive this?," ask yourself, "How can I fix this?" or "What is in my control/power to change here?"
* Remember that loss is Letting Ourselves Surrender Stagnancy. Change creates movement and movement creates new growth.
Know that movement is happening in your life and new people, jobs, opportunities, and blessings are on their way to you NOW! Let yourself be reborn like the Phoenix who rises from the dust of its own fiery ashes. Accept your loss, dust yourself off, do your grief work, and you will eventually move forward.
