{"id":8253,"date":"2024-02-04T11:07:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-04T05:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/04\/5-ways-grief-can-help-us-develop-resilience\/"},"modified":"2024-02-04T11:07:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-04T05:37:46","slug":"5-ways-grief-can-help-us-develop-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/04\/5-ways-grief-can-help-us-develop-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways Grief Can Help Us Develop Resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"


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1. Give yourself permission to be sad.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t have to have all the answers. It\u2019s okay just to feel your feelings.\u00a0Grief is the loss of\u00a0anything<\/em> significant, so it\u2019s important to give ourselves (or our hurting friends\/loved ones) permission to grieve anything and everything \u2013from medical concerns to job losses and family conflict to divorce, even the loss of friendships, etc. It\u2019s also incredibly helpful to remember that grief is dynamic. While many of us have some understanding of the \u201cfive stages of grief\u201d in our minds, these stages are not consistent. In other words, we don\u2019t need to be hard on ourselves if our grief doesn’t follow a particular pattern.<\/p>\n

The reality is that not all suffering is reasonable. Not all agonizing questions can be answered sensibly, and though\u00a0it feels counterintuitive, we can find resilience by embracing, rather than avoiding, our physical and emotional pain.<\/p>\n

2. Create a repeatable event or symbol that honors your loss.\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Symbols are deeply meaningful for humanity. We are people who need to mark, remember, grieve, and celebrate. Consider creating an annual event, getting a special piece of jewelry, or planting a garden in your loved one\u2019s honor. These seem like simple ideas, but the intentional act of remembering and marking\u2014with your community around you\u2014can create strength<\/a> in sadness. \u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Know that the first year may not be the hardest.\u00a0<\/h2>\n

In spite of what people say, the first year of grieving a loved one is not always the hardest. The first year is the year of adrenaline, the year of \u201cfirsts.\u201d \u00a0It is the year of putting one foot in front of the other, the year of doing the next thing you are capable of doing. It\u2019s a year of reckoning\u2014a year of listing that which has been lost and trying to make sense of what will never really make sense\u2014this new reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Resilience after year one takes support \u2013 in a support group, in grief counseling, in a restorative exercise class, etc. If you are a person of faith, this can be a meaningful time to join a faith-based support group.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Be mindful of other sufferers.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

There are folks around the globe living under systemic oppression, poverty, and pain. Others have survived natural disasters, tragedy, or abuse. Join them on their mourning benches. If you are a praying person, pray for them. Consider donating money to a cause that you are passionate about. Volunteer your time with a relief organization. Send a hurting friend an encouraging note. If we can reach out of our pain into the pain of others, this increases our own compassion, moves us out of myopic focus, and supports those who are hurting. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> Engage in the enjoyable<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/h2>\n

This can come across as trite, but in the midst of our deepest pain, if we can make efforts to engage in healthy things that we enjoy\u2014 hiking, photography, music, art, exercise, writing, a great conversation with a friend\u2014these help us come out of our isolation, one day at a time, and move us towards a place of hope<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bonus- How to offer support for those who are grieving:<\/strong><\/h2>\n