In the modern Western world we’re so obsessed with working and achieving that we’ve even tried to push the experience of loss and grief into our culture of working and achieving. I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about needing to do “grief work.” Grief work is often usually interpreted as thinking and talking about your…
Tag Archive: grieving
Do You Need Your Friends & Family To Approve Of The Way You’re Grieving?
Last week I posted my “How Can I Heal?” article on Facebook and two of my wonderful friends commented in response to the article. Here’s what Rebekah said… And then Dana said this… Seeking approval in our grieving Do you find yourself seeking approval in your grieving, and wanting your friends and family to validate…
A Creative Practice For Living Wholeheartedly After Loss
Most people who are struggling with grief don’t come to me saying, “I want to learn to live wholeheartedly after loss.” Usually, they say something like, “I want to stop feeling so depressed/ anxious/ tired/ angry. I want to stop crying all the time/ feeling demotivated and direction-less/ avoiding intimacy because I’m afraid of loving…
Grieving Is Learning (And How To Grieve & Learn More Easily)
There have been a lot of attempts to describe what grieving is and how it progresses. I’ve found it really useful to see grief as simply a process of learning. Sure, it’s probably the steepest learning curve you’ve ever been on, but grieving and learning to live wholeheartedly after loss is also a lot like…
A Warm Cup Of Sani-tea
I created this collage and wrote the notes for it on 17 January 2011. Here’s what I wrote in my journal about the collage: I know deep down that now is a time of waiting. I can squirm and shout and try to force things, but nothing is happening in a hurry. I have to…
Planting Happy Seeds
A big shift in my healing came when I decided to plant happy seeds – literally and metaphorically. Sadness, fear and hope all mixed up together. It was a big leap of faith for me at the time… It helped facilitate some more grieving and acknowledgment of my fears. I cried as I planted them,…
