Grief and loss eventually land on everyone’s doorstep. And when they do, it’s important to allow yourself to cry, hit pillows, and experience those emotions (rather than stuffing them down and carrying them with you for decades.) Even in the middle of grief and loss, we are still responsible for taking care of ourselves. We must sleep. We must eat. We must brush our teeth. When we start to ignore the “habits of health”, we are victimizing ourselves even further. What you so badly want to avoid – getting out of bed, taking a walk, studying for the test…All of these are acts of self-care that are the things that will actually help you recover, repair, and restore from the loss. Yes, these self-cares can feel so bad at the moment. But your body always has the energy and the ability to perform acts of love for yourself. The only thing that is necessary is for you to initiate the act. Just because the beginning is uncomfortable, doesn’t mean the entire experience will. Pushing yourself to do a few uncomfortable things each day can build these muscles that will carry you through all of life’s moments, even its triumphs.
