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The Journey
For the past two years, I have been on a healing journey. In such a short time, seven of my beloved family members died and a break-up. As a result, I welcomed the silent moments where I would reflect on life, and smile from recalling a precious memory. You know the type of cry that comes from the depths of the stomach and rises up? I did that for many days. After some reflecting, I had an epiphany; I knew then I had to make a choice. It was time to chose how I was going to bounce back from all of the pain, grief, and heartache. Life gives and takes away, it is the same with grief.
Self-Compassion
Although, I was very type A, compassion became a weapon I didn’t know I had. My goal was resiliency. At the time, I was extremely hard on myself. Self-Compassion means to have empathy, to be kind to yourself. For many years, I had a long, and horrible negative inner monologue that would play every-day. Grief shook me, and so I used my newfound self-compassion like never before. As a result, I found myself loudly declaring positive statements to myself in the mirror daily.
Vulnerability
I prided myself on being there for others for many years. Grief gave me the space I needed to realize that it was okay to share how much I was hurting. It was okay to share how much I wanted to climb out of the hole. I kept my circle small. Eventually, I found a community in which I could share in a virtual platform. As a result, My healing blossomed because of taking a risk. I let my armor down, allowing others to love me just as I was.
Self-Love
In the middle of the grief, I also realized I was in an emotionally toxic relationship. I poured into this individual for years. I woke up, finally, to the notion that I was worth MORE than what my ex could offer. Above all, I craved to be fully loved. I started a self-care ritual where I would do small things for myself every day. I soaked up all of that energy that I used in my relationship and focused on myself. All of these gifts I gained through the grief process changed my life. I continue to use them daily. I want to encourage you: when you think you’re down for the count, you can begin again. You can heal. You can rise above any storm that is in your life!
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