One of the most important things you can do when you are experiencing grief is to take care of yourself. Nurturing yourself allows your healing to truly begin. Here are some things you can do to make life a little easier when the going gets rough.

1.   Make sure you get plenty of rest.

  1. Eat nourishing food, not only so you can have the stamina you need, but so your body can have the energy it needs to process the stress you are experiencing.
  2. Get some exercise, even if that only means going for a walk. Exercise gets those spirit-lifting endorphins going and makes the day easier.
  3. Following a routine brings a sense of stability to your days when your boat is rocking.
  4. Be kind and compassionate with yourself. Ask yourself ~ What simple things can I do to nurture my body? My spirit? My mind? Then do at least one of them every day.
  5. Keep your life as simple as possible so there is room not only to nurture yourself but also to work through what is going on inside.
  6. Pace yourself. Try not to get caught up in “shoulds” and “oughts.”
  7. Listen to your body and trust its wisdom! The body never lies! Its signals are either comfort or discomfort. Always try to move toward comfort.
  8. It’s not only all right to cry, it’s necessary, so let the tears come when they want to.
  9. Share your feelings with others.
  10. Just go with the flow as best you can, and know that every day is exactly as it should be.
  11. Grief has no time table, so give yourself the time you need to work through your loss.
  12. Do what you need to do to get through special days, like birthdays and holidays.
  13. You may have to give yourself permission to be happy. It probably won’t be the same “happy” as what you knew before, but it will be a place to begin.
  14. Find something to be grateful for every day. Think about what you did not lose. You might even want to begin a gratitude journal and write in it at the end of each day.
  15. Trust that all things come bearing a gift. Yes, even the most difficult things, so watch for that gift. It is there. I promise.
  16. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. Is the same old thing running through your mind? Has a way of thinking become a habit? What can you do to change it if it isn’t going to take you where you want to go? Make conscious choices in how you think and how you feel as much as you can.
  17. We always have a choice in how we respond. Try being aware of how you meet life. Begin living your life consciously. Be a conscious choice maker! You can do this!
  18. Even though you may not feel like laughing right now, give yourself permission to laugh whenever you can. Find a way to start and end the day with laughter. Fake it if you have to. Read something funny ~ often. See if you can laugh at the things that tend to stress you. If you can, find a laughter group. Laughter heals at every level.
  19. Reaching out to help others takes your focus off yourself. You’ll know when you’re ready to do this.
  20. Oftentimes we find ourselves wrestling with guilt – what we did or didn’t do or say. Don’t punish yourself! God loves and accepts you just the way you are. In fact, you are loved so completely, there is nothing left to forgive! See if you can love and accept yourself like that, too.
  21. Make time to feed your spirit with inspirational material. Reading something inspirational is a lovely way to begin and end the day.
  22. Listen to beautiful music. Music takes you where the mind cannot go.
  23. Find your spiritual anchor. For me, that anchor was meditation. Meditation is like a rudder that brings balance to your ship and helps you ride the waves of life more easily. If this practice calls to you, make a commitment to learn how and practice it daily.
  24. Working through loss is heavy duty stuff, so be compassionate with yourself and know that you’re doing the very best you can at any given moment.
  25. You are not lost! There is an Infinite Wisdom that is always guiding you. Trust in that Wisdom. It knows the way.

 

How you work through grief will be unique to you, and that is as it should be. The key is to make time for yourself, so you can work through what you need to work through, so you can heal! At this particular juncture in your life, what could be more important than that?

Donna Miesbach 2013

Donna Miesbach

I have been on a spiritual path all my life. I was first introduced to meditation when I was seventeen. I knew this was an important tool, but I wanted to go deeper than that particular method allowed, so my search began. I attended workshops and classes, read books and tried every form of meditation I could find, to no avail. Then in 1994, my life changed dramatically. My husband died very suddenly. Soon after that, I lost both parents, too. They say when the student is ready, the teacher appears. This student was certainly ready. About a year after my husband’s sudden death, I learned about Dr. Deepak Chopra and his teachings. It was like finding the light at the end of the tunnel. I took meditation training from Dr. Chopra and began attending his courses. They fed my deep roots and made such a difference in my life that I committed to being certified both in meditation and yoga so I could share these wonderful practices with others. I have studied with Deepak and also Roger Gabriel both here and in India. I also studied sound healing with Jonathan Goldman, and remote viewing with Dr. David Morehouse, having completed all five levels of his training. As my teaching became established, doors began opening that allowed me to teach meditation to at risk youth. Then another door opened and I found myself working with Playmakers Mentoring Foundation, a Sacramento-based outreach. Together with their Executive Director, we wrote a book and then opened a chapter here in Omaha. In addition to my work with Playmakers, I continue to teach meditation in the Omaha NE area, offering both private and group instruction. I also hold group meditations and programs five times a year, and speak to groups on various aspects of spirituality upon request.   It has been an amazing journey, one I never could have anticipated. I didn’t know it then, but I know now that it is possible to get to the other side of grief, and that is what my book, “From Grief to Joy, A Journey Back to Life & Living,” is all about.

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