Page 11 - AreaNewsletters "April 2020" issue

Happy to work with you virtually, online.
HEALTH • WELLNESS • LIFESTYLE
All of Us Have Been Affected
By Lana Paul, Lighting The Way Certi ed Grief Recovery Specialist
Experiencing a pandemic has sure been jolting to the nervous system, hasn’t it? My irritated hands are won- dering why so much soap??? More than that though, my heart is hurting and questioning and searching for hope. So many of us have been affected. That’s not really true though. All of us have been affected. Everything in our everyday lives has been affected and the emotions we are experiencing as a result of these changes is what we call grief.
I used to think that grief only came as a result of death. But what about the other life transitions, the other losses whether they are large or seemingly small. Our responses, our reactions, our feelings that are normal and natural and do not need to be xed... this is grief.
With COVID-19, our lives have been uprooted; there is a loss of safety, trust and a loss of connection, and you may befeelingscared,overwhelmedandisolated. Wehavebig con icting feelings inside because we have been asked to choose between prioritizing our nancial wellbeing or our health and wellness, which includes potential life or death for ourselves and our family members. And in some cases, we were not given choice but were commanded.
Grief may be expressed by eating too
much, too little, drinking more than
normal, being irritable or avoidant
in the form of making jokes, sleep-
ing too much or too little. It may be
waking up unresolved grief that has been hiding inside.
There is such power in being able to identify these feel- ings, emotions and reactions. And to know that is grief. Now you know what kinds of conversations to have. Talk to the people in your life about what you are each experiencing. Listen with your heart, with compassion and let judgment take a back seat. ————————————————————————
Lighting the Way offers grief recovery services through
an online platform. Click the ad to connect with Lana..
Click Here for a
complimentary
Grief Recovery E-Book
11 Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters • April 2020