A Resource for Grief and Loss
While most of us have experienced grief in some capacity, it is often described as a lonely experience. The world keeps moving. The grief is still there.
Healing After Loss is one of my favorite resources on grief. The author speaks about grief in a personal manner and normalizes many of those moments when you might be asking yourself, “Am I the only one?”
Healing After Loss is a short daily read, with one excerpt per day throughout the calendar year. Each reading starts with a quote and ends with a meaningful phrase that can be used for personal reflection, meditation, or prayer — whatever best suits you. The format of this book naturally lends itself to being used in a variety of ways — so let’s talk daily check-ins, mindfulness practices, and connecting with others.
Daily check-ins Carving out some time to read Healing After Loss can serve as a much needed daily reminder to pause and check-in. Do you ever feel like your day passes by without a moment to slow down and catch your breath? The alarm clock goes off, the dog needs to be fed, the clothes are still in the dryer, and now you’re off to work. The work day ends and the decisions begin. Workout? Takeout? Hang out? Somehow, you’re already setting your alarm again. Who has time for grief?
Practicing a daily check-in aims to jumpstart a new rhythm — Pause. Reflect. Repeat. The way Healing After Loss is written aligns nicely with this rhythm. Let’s take a look at two examples of using this book to practice a daily check-in. One practice includes pausing to reflect on what you related to in the daily reading, as well as what you read that felt different from your personal experiences of grief. Another practice is making an intentional effort to slow down and ask yourself a few questions after the reading (ex: how am I feeling emotionally? how have I been sleeping? how has my self-care been? what do I need in this moment?) Remember — Pause. Reflect. Repeat.
Mindfulness practices There’s plentyyy of room to be creative here! To get the ball rolling, here are two examples of how the daily readings can be integrated into meditation, prayer, and mindfulness practices. The daily phrase can be used as a mantra, affirmation, or prayer to carry with you and return to throughout the day. You can write it down, say it out loud, or set it as your background — whatever feels most helpful for you as you go about your day. The daily reading can also be used as an opportunity to practice mindfulness and simply notice your reactions — aiming to do so with curiosity and non-judgment. Before we move on, let’s take a moment to slowly re-read that last part — aiming to do so with curiosity and non-judgment.
Connecting with others Lastly, you may find that you want to discuss the readings with others who are walking alongside you in this season. Maybe that looks like spontaneously sharing a favorite excerpt or maybe it’s having a more structured, routine discussion about the daily readings. We all know that finding our words can be hard sometimes — especially in seasons of grief. Using this book in a way that is meaningful to you is a great start.