Remember when Charlie Brown used to say, “Good Grief”? Let’s talk about good grief.
What is grieving well……what can it look like?
Since everyone is unique, the grief journey looks a little bit different for each of us. However, some things will be constant.
We will miss our dear loved one.
The pain is very strong year one, and somehow intensifies in year two as you are no longer numb.
You have to put one foot in front other. Many times in robot mode for quite some time after close loss.
So here is a little cheat sheet on how to beat the “Grief Monster” at his own game.
Good grief looks like:
- Finding someone who “gets it“. Make a buddy. It may be a complete stranger.A buddy with some common thread. Maybe the circumstance of death, the age, the date, possibly your own connection, like your age, how many children you have, or your proximity.
- Feel what you feel, whether it is anger, sadness, loneliness, isolation, happiness, or seeking out new friends. Feel what you feel, acknowledge it, do not hide from it. You have the right to those feelings. Not handling them and feeling them will lead to a longer, hard grieving period.
- Exercise, yes that is right. Find exercise you enjoy. Cardio is good. I myself, balnace things out with yoga, hot yoga, and kickboxing. They keep me off anxiety and depression medication and keep my mind and body fit. Exercise releases amazing feel good chemicals in your brain.
- Find away to express what you are going through. Journaling, artistic expression, music, gardening, and photography are all some ways to put your feelings into an art form.
- Stop complaining about what you don’t have and really look around and see who and what you DO have. I bet you have some good things going on. It is super hard to focus on the good, when you are in your hardest part of life. However, channeling positive energy brings in and out more positive energy and experiences.
- Work through your grief with a Grief Counselor, they are trained in this extremely difficult life challenge. Let them help guide you on your grief journey.
- Be open minded. You deserve to be loved, get love, have fun and experience good times again. Leave your heart and mind open to new experiences.
Be well,
Jules
