Trying to Stay Positive While Dealing with Loss
Last week, my family experienced loss of a loved one. And it was unexpected. And extremely sad. I’ll be completely honest and say that death and loss is not something I am comfortable talking about because of the pain I know it brings, but I acknowledge it as a natural part of life. Throughout the week, many things circled around in my head, especially how one can stay “positive” despite an unfortunate situation. So, I decided to enlist the help of some of my coach friends to write this week’s tip as something all of us can to come back to in those times of need.
Here is what was reiterated in my conversations with others:
- Allow yourself to FEEL, and don’t hold it in. Acknowledge the pain and validate that it’s completely natural and normal to feel sad. Allow yourself to cry.
- Use your community for support. Get lots of hugs. Feel the love that others are more than happy to give you through this tough time.
- Here are a couple resources (books, websites) that were suggested:
a) On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
b) LINK: Grief Cheatsheet: 6 Essential Reminders About How to Grieve
Of course there are a ton of other wonderful resources out there, but here’s a start. One of the biggest things that comes up for me is the reminder that life is too short, and more than ever, we need to cherish the wonderful things in life and make the most of what we have, rather than allowing negativity to permeate our lives. We need to share our love, and allow ourselves to be loved. And regarding trying to stay “positive,” maybe it’s not about trying to see the “bright side” of the situation, because it’s just not easy to do so in times like these, but doing whatever it is you need to you to allow yourself to grieve, is what’s more important.
