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Read the following article from Healthline.com
Present Tense: 7 Mindfulness Strategies to Cope with Loss
Illustration by Brittany England
What is grief?
There are many ways to grieve. For some people it passes quickly. It can take years for other people. The feeling of loss becomes a part of our lives. At some point, most people will experience the loss of a friend, a parent, a relationship, or health. Grief is a completely natural human response. There are many reasons to grieve. These include the loss of:
- a job
- a pet
- a relationship
- a pregnancy
- a loved one
- a home
- your health
- your mobility
Mindful grief
There’s no right way to grieve. But there are ways to support the grieving process. “Mindfulness [is] paying attention to what’s happening as it’s happening. [It] is actually really helpful inside of grief,” says Megan Devine. Devine says it’s important to remember grief is normal and natural. She says the goal in using mindfulness while grieving is “to survive, to manage it, to cope with it, but not to fix it.” There’s nothing wrong with being positive. However, it’s important to not quickly forget or ignore difficult emotions while healing. Grief is not a problem.
How to practice mindful grieving
There are seven steps to help you.
1. Acknowledge and accept your feelings
It might not be easy. But accepting how you feel is the first step to healing. And it is the most important in the process of mindful grieving. Allow yourself to feel without judgment. You will stop resisting your emotions. You also start to understand that grief is not a straight path. It’s a cycle. Then, you can start to see that grief comes and goes. The feelings will pass.
2. Express yourself
First, you accept your feelings. Then, you can put them in a safe place. This can include:
Everyone is different. It’s helpful to find a way to express your emotions.
3.Know you’re not alone
Grief can be a lonely place. But the truth is you’re never alone in your grief. Everyone experiences grief. Mindfulness helps you be aware. You’re not alone in these feelings.
4.Try grief-focused meditation
During times of loss, meditation may seem impossible to do. With practice, meditation can allow you to feel and accept. This creates a safe environment for your pain.
5.Create healthy boundaries
Sometimes, friends may want to help. Friends or family may repeatedly call or visit. Some people think this is helpful. Other people may need space and time alone. You can communicate your needs and set healthy boundaries. It can be difficult to ask for what you need. But you need to be supported and understood.
6.Get ‘unstuck’
There are a lot of ideas about what grief should look like. Because of this, sometimes you feel like you’re “stuck” in your grief. There is no way to grieve “correctly.” You can still cry years later. It doesn’t mean you’re stuck. But some normal grief responses can negatively affect your life. It’s normal to lose interest in work, hobbies, or even friendships. But it’s important to be social where you can.
7.Start telling your story
It doesn’t need to happen right away. But Devine strongly suggests sharing your own story with grief. Telling about what happened can be very powerful. “That is how things change.”
It’s OK to feel whatever you’re feeling. That is the first step.
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Text adapted from: https://edtechbooks.org/-Gnxn