Over the last year, I’ve experienced several family losses.
Interestingly, many in my circles are having similar experiences and yet relationship grief is not dinner conversation.
It is not a topic we are culturally taught to connect over, at the water fountain, over coffee.
Instead, it is acceptable and expected that grief (at least the expression of it) has a finite timeline. Once it is crossed, one is meant to “get on with matters for living” and keep any inconvenient emotion out of earshot and eyesight.
As a relationship coach, working with clients since 2011, I can confidently say that stuffing emotions down never works. In fact, the harder you try to “keep it together” the more you will find those pesky emotions hitting you at the most unexpected and inopportune times, making a mess of things.
Neither white knuckling it through your day nor crawling under a rock are realistic options.
How to embrace the both and of grieving and living?
1. Compassion: Expect you won’t get work done at the same pace.
2. Communication: To that end, let others know so deadlines can be shifted, or work delegated
3. Creation: create a routine that supports you to feel all the emotions and helps you find your footing
4. Connection: spend time with trusted family and friends
5. Patience: wash, rinse repeat
Honoring yourself by giving space for your grief while carrying on with matters of living is a practice you start preparing for today. If you find your routine is not supporting you currently, you’ve been isolating, you’ve been pushing yourself beyond capacity, now is the time to make those changes.
How will you prioritize what you need to best handle life when you’ve lost?
Let’s talk. Click the link below for your complimentary Discovery Call with me. Let’s see if the relationship work I do is a match for what you’re looking for. Click here now.