“Our freedom can be measured by the number of things we walk away from.”
-Vernon Howard
Grief can make us feel confined, stuck, frozen in place. The restrictions put upon us during this pandemic may exacerbate those feelings, especially while grieving. Rather than look at the way in which grief (and life) have shrunk because of our current circumstances, what if you saw the things you were able to release yourself from?
Whether it is a long-commute, keeping company with stressful people, a stifling environment, uncomfortable clothes…quite a bit of pre-pandemic life was restrictive and stress-inducing. While life has changed, many new freedoms have opened to us at the same time as some have closed.
Likewise, grief brings a sense of freedom with it…if you look for it. It is easy to focus on the ways in which grief restricts your life. However, in grief you are freer to say “No” to what clogs your schedule and “Yes” to self-care. You can rearrange priorities that forced the most important thing in life to the bottom of your list. You are free to cut yourself from relationships that serve no real supportive purpose in life.
This week, consider what you have been able to walk away from thanks to grief. How has grief freed you in life?
A.N.Carroll 