When was the last time you really checked in with yourself? Like sat down and had a heart-to-heart with your own reflection in the mirror? A week, a month, or longer? If you are like most people it hasn’t been on the top of your to-do list lately.
Most of us manage to get by without a regular check in, but when you are struggling with grief it becomes much more important to take the time you need for you to heal. That means knowing what is going on inside your head and with your own heart. I call it “tuning in” where you have a greater understanding of what is happening in your life beyond the surface level.
When you are grieving it is more important than ever to nurture yourself. Your pain and your path to healing both start and end with you. The more in tune you can be with your own needs the faster you will navigate to a place of wellness. Here are three ways to nurture yourself to survive your grief.
Mentally: Check in with what thoughts are going on in your head. You can do this in the form of journaling or just free writing for 15 minutes to see what comes up. Pulling thoughts out of your mind and committing them to paper forces you to draw attention to them. Most of the time we just let these thoughts exist in our brains, completely unaware of the impact they are having on our lives.
Emotionally: Understand what feelings are coming up for you. Depending on what thoughts you are having, your emotions may be all of over the map. That’s okay and that is normal. Don’t try to resist or avoid the feelings you are having. Allow them and, if possible, name them. Call them out for what you know them as. Remember, feelings are vibrations in your body caused by your thinking. Angry, sad, frustrated, are all examples of feelings.
Physically: Often when we are grieving we turn to something external because we think it will make us feel better. Depending on what that is, it could have physical implications later on. For example, eating an entire bag of cookies when you are sad may make you feel some sense of relief in the moment, but that action will have on your body will linger long after the initial dopamine hit of sugar. To nurture yourself physically when you are grieving, ask “Will this have a net negative outcome for me?” If the answer is yes, then it would best to pass up that activity. This could include the impacts of overeating, over drinking, over spending, etc. Anything where you are seeking to feel better because of an outside source will not bring you long term wellness.
Looking for a road map to help you nurture your way through grief? Schedule a free 25 minutes strategy session with me to get started.