3 Ways To Grieve — And Survive — Your Massive Loss (So You Can Move Forward With Your Life)
There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy.
It eventually happens to everyone — we lose someone we love to the great unknown. A mother, father, spouse, friend, a child. For those left behind, it can be challenging to continue living fully after having loved and lost.
Death is the ultimate gateway into the unknown.
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Death of the body can be proven scientifically, but survival of the spirit cannot. Is it wishful thinking that there is some kind of existence after death? The testimonies of people who were clinically dead but came back to life — reporting beings of light, ethereal beauty, reunions with deceased family members? Or are these (often remarkably similar) stories simply, as scientists wants us to believe, figments of a hallucinating brain?
What if death is simply a shift into another state of existence?
No matter what we believe about death, what ultimately matters is how we live our lives. What we do while we are still here in this physical reality. If you have experienced loss and feel stuck, consider this:
1. Figure out how to find joy after grief.
Holding back emotions: not wanting to feel vulnerable, abandoned, angry, or other difficult emotions can paradoxically keep your heart permanently frozen. If you can find a way to feel safe enough to walk through your blues — realizing your difficult emotions and allowing them expression — your heart will gradually be able to thaw and feel expansive once again.
2. Dedicate time to pay tribute to your lost loved one in your own, unique way.
Many of us feel that we need honor those who died by perpetually referring to how much we miss them. When we do so months and years after they passed, we re-enter the labyrinth of grief permanently. Try switching your thoughts and speech about them to:
- How much they meant to you
- How their legacy lives on in you
- The gratefulness you have for the time you spent with them
- How what they gave to you, is now a part of what you want to give to others.
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3. Don't be afraid to move on, take risks and be happy.
Are you overly cautious in doing things you enjoy, because you fear for your safety? Or do you refrain from doing that which you know is really your heart’s desire, because you are afraid it might be risky? Living fully is scary. But ultimately isn’t that what we are here for? Dare to channel your inner Abraham Lincoln: “And in the end it is not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.”
What happens when we die remains a mystery. But living in grateful appreciation for those we loved and lost, while connecting to passion for life among the living is a safe bet – no matter what we believe.
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Marie Trout’s passion is writing, blogging, a 25-year career in artist management, wisdom studies and a heart for making our time on earth count. Visit Marie on her website.