Coping with loss during the holidays is very difficult. Maybe you have had a loss of a loved one, friend, pet, job, marriage, or any other type of loss. Well, I have too. I have had many losses, and the holidays always seem to be so much more difficult to deal with after any type of loss. You are permitted to enjoy them if you give yourself permission to enjoy. There should be no guilt attached to enjoying yourself. Give yourself this gift. Please reflect on these seven thoughts each day in this upcoming week just to prepare yourself as the holidays roll towards us.
Here are those seven thoughts that I pray will be a blessing to you through this holiday season after your loss/losses.
Decide how you want to deal with the holidays. By this I mean do you want to talk about your loss or not talk about it? This is something to think about. Please also, think about laughter. Allow yourself to laugh. After all, laughter is an excellent medicine in dealing with loss!
Visualization. If you are not sure what this is, it is actually visualizing how you want yourself to be and what you want the holidays to be like in your mind. You actually picture each day/visit in you mind and "visualize" yourself and how you want it to be.
Breathing exercises. Yes, we all breathe. However, are you breathing correctly and are you breathing to relax yourself? Most of us Americans are shallow breathers. In order to get healthier and stay healthy we need to learn to breathe more deeply than we usually do.
Diet. This is also very important. Are you eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, or are you eating junk food and maybe drinking too much?
Exercise. I know you're probably thinking, "I'm depressed, or not in the mood. Why would I want to exercise?" Well, exercise is very important to your physical and emotional health.
Declutter your life/your home. Getting out all the unnecessary clutter/mess in your home can save you much-needed energy. Clutter gives off a lot of negative energy and uses up a lot of energy.
Live and cope through the holiday. You can get through this. Read on each day for insight and help to do this, JUST ALLOW YOURSELF. Give yourself permission. My name is John T. Catrett, III from ONHL Hospice. I am a Chaplain. I have had many losses in my lifetime. I am not an expert with many degrees in this field of grieving and coping with loss, but I am simply one bruised heart sharing with other bruised hearts how I survived the tragedy of losing precious loved ones.
John T. Catrett , III
ONHL Hospice Chaplain,
918.352.3080.
john.catrett3@gmail.com