Grief and heartache affect us all. Our lives rotate in cycles. Joy, Sorrow, Grief, Happiness. Each time we hit the grief cycle, we think we will never get out. Most of us do find our way out. The ones who don't may find themselves stuck in depression (the 4th stage of grief) for the rest of their lives.
How do we successfully move through the stages of grief to reach #5-acceptance? (The first four are denial, anger, bargaining and depression)
In my lifetime so far, I have concluded there are a few important things we can do.
1. Allow ourselves to grieve. Don't suppress any emotions- sadness, anger, fear, etc. When emotions become overwhelming, do something to relieve your mind and body of the stress- take a walk, reach out to a friend, read a book, play video games- whatever you gravitate to for enjoyment at the end of the day.
2. Allow ourselves to be happy. Often losing someone imposes a heap of guilt on us if we do something fun after our loved one is gone. There is nothing more our loved one would want than for us to return to a state of happiness.
3. Have faith. It's OK to question God and ask the hard questions. He can handle it. Be sure to ask him to give you faith to keep believing. He has promised we will never walk this earth alone.
4. Surround ourselves with people. We are created to be relational. Having others to talk to and grieve with is an important part of the process. We can't isolate ourselves.
5. Let people do things for us. In a time of need, people want to help. Let them help by raising money if they want to, bringing meals, and writing encouraging notes.
6. Realize we may grieve the rest of our lives. Grief is a lifelong process. It's OK to do special things yearly on birthdays or special holidays in remembrance.
I'll end by leaving this song that I really like. It's called Never Once and is sung by Matt Redman.
Never Once by Matt Redman
