Grief isn’t just one experience that hangs out for a bit and then disappears. Grief is a very long road broken up into shorter segments that piggyback onto one another for the remainder of a griever’s life. Outsiders often mistake grief for a one-and-done experience: someone dies, you get sad, you deal with it, you’reContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Persevering”
Tag Archives: Self-Care
Monday Meditation: Fall Now, Stand Later
One of the most significant misunderstandings concerning grief is the belief that grief is a one-and-done experience: loss happens, you get sad, you gradually become happier, and then, one day, grief is gone for good. The belief is helpful to grief supporters, who sometimes act as though our grief is a drag. The sooner weContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Fall Now, Stand Later”
Monday Meditation: Quiet Reconnection
Learning to sit in quiet is a skill that takes time to develop. The noise outside is loud and often penetrates deep inside us, making it hard to shut off. The noise can obscure our true desires because it tells us that what we want cannot or should not be. No matter how long itContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Quiet Reconnection”
My “Dry” January 2023
Typically, Dry January refers to a month of abstention from alcohol (and maybe whatever else was overabundant in the pre-new year holiday season). After an emotionally exhausting and panic-attack-filled 2022, I decided to do my own grief version of a “Dry January” in 2023. 2022 was awful, and I wanted to begin a practice ofContinue reading “My “Dry” January 2023″
Monday Meditation: Quiet Matters
Quiet is more than just the absence of noise. Quiet is a state of being that helps suppress distracting intrusions so that the right sounds can become loud and clear.
Monday Meditation: To Rest, Surrender.
To rest, you have to stop expending energy in certain ways. Not only do you have to physically stop performing certain activities, but you also have to release depleting mental loads from your mind.
Monday Meditation: Lie Fallow
Fallowing is a farming practice whereby a field is left unsown for a period of time to let the soil recover its nutrients and restore its moisture content. This recovery time later allows that same soil to grow a larger and better crop when next planted. The “rest” time granted to grievers by friends, family,Continue reading “Monday Meditation: Lie Fallow”
Monday Meditation: A New Year Rest
December used to be an exciting month, a tiring one, but one filled with the energy of holiday electricity. The final week of the year used to be a time when I would organize myself and my professional and personal calendar. I would renew commitments to my goals and redraw the lines of my lifeContinue reading “Monday Meditation: A New Year Rest”
A Year For Rest
I am so happy to see 2022 go…it was a difficult year full of exhausting experiences and habits that I would not like to continue…ever. The year was full of family health traumas (I do know that for the people directly affected by these health issues, the year was far more stressful and exhausting) whichContinue reading “A Year For Rest”
Monday Meditation: Rest.
A holiday shrouded in grief can range from tiring to exhausting.
Holiday Gift Guide 2021
My gift list is a bit late, I realize. In truth, because grief is 24/7/365, when you give a gift to a griever or when you (as a griever) buy yourself a self-care present is somewhat irrelevant. This guide is for both grief supporters and grievers.
Monday Meditation: It’s Gonna Be Work
No one tells you that grief how much work grief is going to entail.
Monday Meditation: Give me an “I”
Grief is overwhelming, and grievers may frequently turn to their grief supporters for help getting through the initial trauma of loss and then healing. Some grief supporters are really great at being there for the griever in their lives, others aren’t as helpful. While being surrounded by amazing support is important for grievers, even theContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Give me an “I””
Monday Meditation: A Time for Reflection
This is the last week of the 2020. What a year it has been.
Monday Meditation: Season with Joy
Holidays may be an awkward time for grievers. First holidays, especially, can be tough. There is no etiquette for how to handle the first year of special events without a loved one. Do we relish in memories of past holidays? Do we share memories with others? Will memories bring sadness? If I am happy, amContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Season with Joy”
A.N.Carroll 