Moving Through Grief

​Have you recently lost someone? Is it hard to feel the grief? Is it difficult to find the words to what you are experiencing? Grief is a powerful emotion that we have all felt, as it can arise with various losses, whether loss of a person, or loss of a relationship. The intensity of grief can vary from person to person, and depending on the relationship, the loss of a parent, close friend or significant person in your childhood can have more intense feelings of grief as it can feel like lost time together. Find below four ways to support yourself in moving through grief. 

1. Give Yourself Time. At the beginning most people need time to feel the stages of grief. For some this may be the initial shock of hearing the news and for some the feeling of how this changes the course of their life. For some they may move into denial of how this could be true. There are many resources that speak to the stages of grief, here is a link to an article that explains the seven stages of grief.  
2. Find the Right Support. This support looks different from person to person, and depends on what their support network looks like. This may include for some: a friend who shows up ready to listen, a colleague who offers a comforting hug and supportive words, or a partner who knew the person and you can share memories together. For others this may include a support group, or depending on the severity of the loss and how much it is impacting your day to day living seeking out the right counsellor or therapist. I have helped many clients over the years move through grief and loss.
3. Coping Tools & Meditation to Move Through Grief. You may have existing coping tools that work for you when you encounter other stresses or emotions of life, which could be utilized and potentially adapted to help you cope with grief and loss. Some of the key coping tools for grief can include finding a way to express how you are feeling this may be with a person you trust, creating a way to remember the person (printing a special photo or creating a letter with special words and memories), or finding a creative outlet to express what you are feeling either through writing, music, singing or art making which may include memories of the person and feelings of the grief. Finding meditations to support you in feeling and moving through the grief can be helpful, I recently uploaded meditation “Moving Through Grief” to https://www.mindfulhealingjourney.ca/in-your-pocket.html#/
4. Patience and Compassion for Yourself. The grief process is not linear and can vary in time from person to person. Being kind with yourself will allow you to feel the feelings more easily without the inner or outer judgment that some people feel and experience about how their grief should look like. Remind yourself you are doing the best you can in this moment.

If you need additional support reach out to me I am Nicole Levy and I would be happy to help. Book an initial consult directly though  https://oab.owlpractice.ca/mindfulhealingjourney/booking