How to Heal Your Grief through Healthy Living
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It’s not easy identifying the right approach when it comes to working through a loss. It might feel as if there are as many different ways to react to a tragedy as there are people to react to it. But grief doesn’t have to be a negative, dark emotion. Instead, it can be a positive opportunity to get back to the essentials of your life.
A way to tap into your natural resilience and rediscover your sense of purpose. And that’s the great thing about grieving through healthy living. There are so many ways to go about it, and as long as you focus on the positive side, you’ll find comfort in a very personal sense of renewal.
Know Your Triggers
Learn to identify stress triggers in your life. When you know what causes you to feel stressed, it becomes easier to deal with your grief. You can then start taking on new challenges that serve to strengthen you.
Start with Exercise
Physical activity is a great way to feel connected to your body and reroute your thoughts. In fact, even a few minutes of physical activity each day can help you cope with grief, reduce stress, increase your mood, and help you feel less overwhelmed by your life.
There are healthy ways to make exercise part of your grieving process. Some people find it helpful to connect with a grief therapist to express their feelings and learn ways to cope.
Others prefer to keep exercise as part of their daily life, doing yoga or walking around a park or the beach. Whatever you do, make exercise a priority in your life. It is a proven way to ease grief, and important for your health.
Connect with Others
Connecting with others can be a great reminder that others understand your pain and are willing to offer support. You can also choose to meet people online.
There are countless resources and forums where people are willing to connect with others who are in a similar place. Interacting with others can help you feel less isolated and remind you that you’re not alone.
Plan Your Day
When you’re in the early stages of grief, you might feel like you can’t plan anything. Instead, you’ll find yourself pulled in a hundred different directions, unsure of how to move forward.
So, start by planning one day, one hour, and one activity at a time. That way, you’re taking one practical step toward moving forward.
Take Time for Yourself
When you experience grief, you’re bound to be spending a lot of time on your own. You might try to push yourself as fast as you can to get through the days and weeks, but you’ll benefit from finding time for yourself.
Share your grief and find ways to connect with others, but also find time for yourself. Find ways to pamper yourself. You might get a massage, eat dinner at a restaurant you love, or catch up on your sleep—all things that you can do to improve your well-being.
Consider the Possibilities
For many people trying to move forward from loss, looking toward new possibilities is an incredible way to find peace and to heal. For example, maybe this loss is the impetus you need to change careers or even find a new job. With an updated resume and LinkedIn profile, you could find the perfect new opportunity. Try a resume template to help limit any overwhelm here. Online tools make it easy to create a custom resume that you can feel good about.
Declutter Your Home
Did you know that a messy, cluttered home can cause stress? If your home is less than comforting, you will have a hard time dealing with your grief. So why not take time to declutter and get organized? Once you create order, you can add elements like plants, artwork, new decor, and anything else that helps to optimize your space.
Try rearranging cabinets and closets and reducing as much clutter as possible. Create a serene space reserved for meditation so you have somewhere to retreat to in your home for healthful healing.
Healthy grieving doesn’t mean you’re letting go of your feelings for the one you lost. It simply means you’re finding healthy ways to process your emotions so you can continue to live your best life. So take it slow, and find what works best for you.