Grief
and
Transitions
Grieving is the hardest part about being human. It is terribly difficult and physically painful. It is confusing, disruptive and very messy. Grieving affects how we move in our lives and how we see ourselves in the world – and it calls us to contemplate the deeper questions of life, and of love.
But we are designed to grieve – to express our emotions, to process our thoughts and stories, to remember love. Moving through loss is an essential piece of living a meaningful life. To be able to let go is to be able to process and move on from pain, to discover resiliency, and to commit to purpose.
All too often, when we are struggling with loss and change, we are strikingly hard on ourselves – keeping standards and expectations that squelch our intuitive strengths and our natural gifts. Perhaps we are really wonderful at offering compassion and understanding to others, but, personally, we feel inadequate. Self-compassion is a life skill we must engage in, in order to transform the persistent voice of self-criticism.
Practices:
- Rituals for Grieving
- Practical Skills for Resiliency
- Exercises for Self-Compassion
“All people suffer loss. Being alive means suffering loss. Sometimes the loss is natural, predictable, and even reversible. It occurs at regular intervals, like the seasons.” – Jerry Sittser, A Grace Disguised
“We will mourn the loss of others. But we are also going to mourn the loss of our selves – of earlier definitions that our images of self depend upon. For the changes in our body redefine us. The events in our personal history redefine us. The ways that others perceive us redefine us. And at several points in our life we will have to relinquish a former self-image and move on.” – Judith Viorst, Necessary Losses