Loss takes a clear toll on your body and mind. You feel tired and weak. Your ability to think clearly seems to flee. The occurrences of everyday life pale in comparison to the emptiness you feel.
How can you help heal yourself? Nothing seems to matter anyway. Feeling energized tomorrow will only war with the void that bears down on your heart.
Is the only solution to wait for time to care for your wounded soul?
It will definitely take time to absorb a difficult loss. It is naïve to think the heart can easily bounce back. Grief will determine the pace.
what can make dealing with loss easier?
Your body did not ask for this. Neither did your mind. Most importantly, your heart was blindsided and must take the brunt of the blow. How can you accept this uninvited guest without crumbling? Is there a way to relieve your suffering?
While the pain lingers, it is useful to take small steps to care for your body, mind, and spirit. They have all been affected by the loss. Caring for them as separate parts of your being will stimulate the healing process.
The combination of these three elements will be the quickest and easiest way to healing. Leaving out one of the components puts you at a disadvantage, left to struggle without all tools available. This holistic approach honors your loss and is sure to move you forward.
The Body
It may seem unimportant to care for your body now. The effort may seem unattainable. What does your body matter in light of your loss? The connection appears tenuous. Even so, a healthy diet, movement of some kind, and the proper amount of sleep will aid in the healing of your weary spirit.
Your body is separate from your spirit and mind. It only acts based on your direction. But it does have a voice. When uncared for, it will pull on the sanity of your mind and weaken hope in your heart. Like a toddler left to her own devices, it will scream for attention.
But also like a guardian, a strong, energetic, well-rested body will protect the mind and heart from slipping into negativity. It stands at the door of your mind, shooing away negative and destructive thoughts. It wraps its powerful arms around your heart and holds it up. It is a force to be reckoned with in a well-running state.
A resilient body will produce resiliency in your mind and spirit.
The Mind
Another way to calm your suffering is to be intentional in your thoughts. First of all, send yourself much love. Give yourself time. Stay away from blame. Allow your emotions to arise, but not overtake. Get help from others. Do not handle it all alone.
The mind is a fertile and active place. It can flow like a river, towards a waterfall of despair. It can also withstand challenges beyond imagination. Trust your mind to be strong for you. Catch the untruths it throws your way and put them to rest. Talk to yourself in the third person, as a cheerleader, determined to encourage you on to victory.
Your mind is your own and also a separate entity from your body and spirit. It reacts to the memories stored in its banks. It has strengths and weaknesses, depending on what it has been through. Unbeknownst to you, the carrier, the mind’s power can be either destructive or have tremendous influence. To manage the mind is to manage your life.
The mind is also a lonely place. Connections with others will give it strength.
The mind causes difficulties when it circles around the pain you are feeling in your heart. Those thoughts must be spoken, disregarded, or assessed for their usefulness. They must be challenged or laid down. New thoughts can come from others, music, scripture, prayer, or your inner resolve.
Be careful with your thoughts.
The Spirit
What are you to do with a broken heart? How can you cope with the ravages that have taken over?
Attend to your spirit. Do all you can to find sorrow’s meaning. It has something for you that you never wanted or asked for. The new perspective will come knocking on your door. Open it, when you are ready, and invite it in. There is no other way. It will continue to pound until you can see it face to face.
Do you have faith in someone or something larger than yourself? If yes, you can go there now, kneel before it, and ask for mercy. May the hope you put in it before your loss, show itself more powerfully than you ever imagined. This may be your shelter, give you strength, and comfort your aching spirit. Many find solace in this place.
If your connection to the unknown does not exist, it can be found now. It is possible to find this mystery in tragedy. It’s always available, waiting for our acceptance. It does not care what happened yesterday or even what the connection will be tomorrow. Faith in this power is yours for the taking and longs to hold you in its arms.