By David Coy
Sunrise
The path to recovery after a loss is often fraught with hills, valleys, trip holes and bumps just to make our grief journey interesting. Sometimes the old adage, “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong,” applies to our lives and occurs at the worst possible time. Then on other occasions, we may feel for one or two days that things have gone pretty smoothly, and then on the third day, we feel as if we slid backward two or three days. We then think to ourselves, “What is going on here?” or “Am I going crazy?” No, you are not going crazy, but our journey with grief may feel like a roller coaster ride with the twists and turns that feel as if we are going backwards, sideways or upside down.
If this is you or has been you or even someone else who you know, pass these suggestions along to them that might help. In our whirlwind that can be grief, do not forget the importance of taking care of yourself. If you need a coach to remind you, then get a good friend to help. Do not forget to eat well. Even if we do not feel hungry our body expends energy, especially when we are anxious, fretful, sorrowful, etc. If you need a buddy system to help you remember and/or encourage you to take care of yourself, appoint someone. Get plenty of sleep. This can be a companion to eating properly, and there may be a deficit in one or both areas. If you need assistance sleeping, I suggest herbal tea. Another suggestion is getting appropriate physical activity, such as walking daily. This will naturally reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure, which will definitely help with sleep. Surround yourself with people who build you up and are positive roll models. Engage with someone every day if possible. This will limit feelings of loneliness and aloneness except when it is bedtime. Then, I suggest reading a good book. The Bible is one good suggestion. Hope to see you in support group.
This is Sunrise Aftercare.
