This is a horrible and scary time. The majority of our society has never dealt with something like this before. Some lived through the Great Depression, where they saw more than toilet paper depleted from store shelves. Others lived through the turmoil of WWII, when homes were destroyed and food and goods were rationed. AContinue reading “Monday Meditation: From Suffering to Inspiration”
Author Archives: ancarroll
Mourning in a Time of Social Distance
It’s the first full week of “social distancing,” a new term in our lexicon that basically means “stay away from people,” in this case, by staying at home. While the death toll around the world increases, it’s easy to see where an observation about grief might fit. People are dying from a new and thereforeContinue reading “Mourning in a Time of Social Distance”
Monday Meditation: Resilience Goes Far
Right now our resilience, our ability to recover from difficulties and to maintain mental toughness, is being tested by a pandemic. Every day we have to commit to renewing that resilience for another 24-hour period without certainty of when the current stressors will end. Though it might feel impossible at times, we can do it.Continue reading “Monday Meditation: Resilience Goes Far”
Monday Meditation: Look Around You
It is easy to become caught up in day-to-day activities and ignore our surroundings. It is especially easy to do this when swirling in the middle of grief. Sometimes we have to force ourselves out of our comfort zone (or current zone) to examine what is happening around us.
Monday Meditation: After Winter, Always Spring
The seasons are inevitable. Grief has it’s seasons as well. Even after the most grueling “grief winter,” an energizing springs emerges and reminds us there is still beauty and warmth in the world.
Monday Meditation: You Can’t Prevent the Spring
Loss can feel like someone has cut all the flowers off their stems and left an ugly, empty, reminder of what once was. It may feel as though nothing good will ever come into life again. However, the seasons of grief move on their and bring us to a springtime that rekindles possibility and hope.Continue reading “Monday Meditation: You Can’t Prevent the Spring”
Grief 101: Does grief follow the same pattern for everyone?
In short, No. More evidence for the “grief is unique” discussion is that grief manifests in various patterns, further confirming that we can’t (and shouldn’t) tell others that we know exactly what they are going through and that we have the perfect solution to “fix” them.
An Ash Wednesday Reflection
Today is Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of the season of Lent for many Christians, including Catholics like me. Lent is a period of self-preparation before Easter, forty days to ready your body, mind, and spirit to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.
Monday Meditation: Call for a Do Over
Every once in a while, we yearn for a fresh start. We may, however, hear that fresh starts are for the young…or someone without kids…or singles…or just not us. Remember the days on the playground when we called for a “do over” because of some unforeseen interference in our play? Where did that habit go?
Monday Meditation: One Day, One Thing.
To change the movement of your path, you just need to take one step each day. These steps don’t have to be big, they can be as small as you would like. The point is to take them. Grief can and will feel overwhelming when we overthink its presence and let it accumulate a cloudContinue reading “Monday Meditation: One Day, One Thing.”
Monday Meditation: Self-Mastery
The new year brings resolution fever. People create lists of habits they would like to break or new things they would like to do. However, these lists may not help those recovering from loss. What might grievers resolve to do in new years?
Christmastime 2019
A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through Trader Joe’s doing the weekly shop. My baby girl was sleepily bouncing along in her Baby Bjorn as I strolled the aisles. It was just after Thanksgiving and about two weeks before Christmas. Holiday items were out for sale and I was just beginning to thinkContinue reading “Christmastime 2019”
Monday Meditation: Christmas Season
‘Tis the season for reflection, not just rejoicing.
2019 Avon Holiday Gift List
It’s well past the time to consider gifts for the holidays. I am a bit late in getting my gift guide out; nevertheless, better late than never as they say. I’ve curated a selection of Avon items below. I’ve included self-care items as well as items that can be considered memorial gifts. Whether you areContinue reading “2019 Avon Holiday Gift List”
Monday Meditation: The Role of Pain
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. -Khalil Gibran Loss comes with pain; emotional and physical. Unfortunately, it is part of the process and we cannot get around it. Often, we seek ways to avoid the pain, to numb ourselves to it. Some distractions are healthy, others not. While theContinue reading “Monday Meditation: The Role of Pain”
