November 2 is All Souls Day or the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), recognized primarily (though not only) in Mexico where it originated, is celebrated October 31 through November 2. November 2 is a day on which Catholics pray that their deceased loved ones and allContinueContinue reading “All Souls Day Meditation”
Tag Archives: COVID-19
The Trouble with Coronavirus: How COVID-19 is Challenging American Acceptance of Death
Like many people, I am interested in information about COVID-19. I read news and journal articles about the pandemic and the scientific communities prescribed methods of handling it. I follow the debates about masks and the realness of the disease. I watch people flood beaches and vacation as though the virus isn’t spreading. I listenContinueContinue reading “The Trouble with Coronavirus: How COVID-19 is Challenging American Acceptance of Death”
Monday Meditation: Endure the Calamity
“Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance.”-Virgil From a practical perspective, we can get through any struggle. From an emotional perspective, getting through struggles without cracking is hard. Humans are made from pretty strong material that can weather a lot. However, our society has grown to favor instant gratification and instant relief from suffering.ContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Endure the Calamity”
Monday Meditation: Free to Walk Away
“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 ofContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Free to Walk Away”
Monday Meditation: A Calming Place
“A calming place, where you can go to escape it all and just focus on your body, is so wonderful to have.”-Mary Helen Bowers To focus on yourself, on your self-care, and on your body’s needs, you must have a calming place to which you can retreat. However, ongoing pandemic restrictions make this difficult. ThisContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: A Calming Place”
8 Ways to Take Life Slowly While Grieving During a Pandemic
Social distancing slows life down for us and changes what we consider normal. We may feel lazier and more unproductive than usual when we actually aren’t. During isolation, there aren’t many chances for big or impulsive decisions, like job changes or moves. Financial matters may become more urgent, deliberate, and purposeful, especially if you’re unemployedContinueContinue reading “8 Ways to Take Life Slowly While Grieving During a Pandemic”
The Joy of Coloring
In the aftermath of his professional split from Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung began an experiment of writing and reflection on his life and career. Jung wrote of visions and fantasies he had as he opened himself to a confrontation with his unconscious during his personal struggles. Later he added complementary imagery, mostly in the formContinueContinue reading “The Joy of Coloring”
Monday Meditation: May the Fourth
“Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.”-Obi-Wan Kenobi It is May the Fourth, and Star Wars Day offers a helpful meditation on life and our place in it. Every living thing isContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: May the Fourth”
7 Ways to Cultivate Inner Stillness While Grieving in Isolation
Cultivating inner stillness while grieving during a pandemic is difficult. However, finding stillness is necessary when processing grief and adapting to post-loss life. One way to approach the search for stillness is by taking a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday work and home responsibilities. When you are sheltering-in-place during a pandemic, thereContinueContinue reading “7 Ways to Cultivate Inner Stillness While Grieving in Isolation”
Monday Meditation: Waiting with Patience
Patience is not simply the ability to wait–it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.-Joyce Meyer Self-isolation and social distancing require a great deal of patience. We have to wait out the run of a highly communicable virus. We have to wait out a difficult economic situation. We have to wait out loneliness. If we’re grieving,ContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Waiting with Patience”
Monday Meditation: Living in Fishbowls
No one can feel as helpless as the owner of a sick goldfish.-Kin Hubbard In a state of social distancing, we are living in a type of fishbowl, and sometimes a fishbowl within a fishbowl. We can’t do anything for our loved ones who are languishing from COVID-19. We can’t do anything for our familyContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Living in Fishbowls”
Virtual Connections and Grieving During COVID-19
In my forthcoming book, Untangling Life After Loss: A Griever’s Guide to Creating a Self-Care Plan, I offer suggestions for how to approach grief in your everyday life. COVID-19 has turned many of those suggestions sideways as social distancing measures throw a curve into what could be termed “normal” grieving processes. An experience that onceContinueContinue reading “Virtual Connections and Grieving During COVID-19”
Monday Meditation: A Marathon with Grit
Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.-Angela Duckworth Backbone. Constancy. Fortitude. Guts. Spunk. Grit. Living through during the COVID-19 pandemic requires grit: the ability to face hardship and/or danger with courage. Boredom endured during social distancing is the least of our worries, which at present include: depression, job loss, financial worries,ContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: A Marathon with Grit”
The Grief of Social Distance
It’s only been a few weeks since social distancing measures were first employed in our state. It’s only been a few days since the governor enacted a “stay at home” order. For others, social distancing and shelter in place orders have been in place longer. Now, after the orders have been given and the noveltyContinueContinue reading “The Grief of Social Distance”
Monday Meditation: From Suffering to Inspiration
We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.-Winston Churchill 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 livedContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: From Suffering to Inspiration”