Making space for grief.
Grief is an essential part of any growth journey, but because it comes with feelings of discomfort, it’s often avoided and overlooked.
Of course, grief and sadness go hand in hand, but there’s also space for beauty within it.
When we allow ourselves to mourn what once was, we’re beginning the process of clearing the earth, making way for the shoots of new life to appear.
It’s also an opportunity to open our hearts with compassion and understanding, creating a nurturing environment for that new life to grow in.
I'll let you in on something…I had no clue I was even allowed to grieve! It never crossed my mind, because I’ve always felt there are unwritten rules around what qualifies grief, and the chronic illness experience didn’t really fit within that.
I now believe grief can be a present and valuable part of life with chronic illness, and whilst it comes with feelings of sorrow, it can also be a place to give ourselves what we need.
Not only does it allow us to step over from The Struggle into Allyship; when it’s factored into the Chronic Illness Cycle - just as it is a part of any cycle within nature - it marks the phase between what’s been and what’s about to come.
It creates an environment in which we can check in, rest and regenerate, and emerge from the chrysalis renewed.
Practice.
Today, the focus is on grieving the parts of You you didn’t accept, and what came as a result of that.
Acceptance is a journey in itself, so please work from where you’re at now.
You might find it helpful to write a letter to yourself, or maybe making a list is more your thing.
Here are some journal prompts to help you, also available in the workbook;
What parts of you and your life - linked to your chronic illness - have you not accepted in the past?
How was that non-acceptance a barrier to life and love?
What feelings come up when you think of that? How can you allow yourself to feel them?
What would you like to say to that past version of yourself (remembering compassion and understanding)?
What do you know now, that will help you hold that compassion and understanding?
What does the You of today need to hear?
Is there anything you’d like to do for yourself, anything you need to show yourself, to allow yourself to feel those feelings and grieve?