Turn Towards the Pain
Jean thought that if she kept herself busy day and night that she would get on the other side of grief without much work. She did not want to face what life would be like without her husband, so she ran as fast as she could. She found herself going around in circles instead. She called me up three years after her husband death and wanted to take the grief program. She told me “one day I just fell apart and my family was wondering what was going on.”
“Jean realized that she needed to turn towards the pain, not away from it ”
Jean realized that she needed to turn towards the pain, not away from it so that she could live fully in this life. She had realized that she was running on empty and feeling nothing. She desperately wanted to live again, to laugh again and to enjoy her family.
Jean learned that she had to turn and face her loss and feel the pain so that she could live fully and enjoy life once again.
Tools
Turn towards the pain, not away from it.
Acknowledging that the loss is real.
Join a grief program or several. (The more help the better).
Remember that there is no set time limit for grief work. Each person will work at their own pace and in their own time.
