Alternative ways to honor Grief

To have grieved the loss of an important person is to know one of life’s most important lessons- Love.

Grief can be like a ball of yarn, somedays rolling out easy and smooth and sometimes finding a hidden knotted mess.

There is no one way to grieve and grief can last throughout the lifespan coming up to be acknowledged at different moments throughout life- weddings, anniversaries, birthdates, birth of children, graduations and during a mundane daily routine.

Many people know that counseling is an option to get support with a significant loss and counseling can really be beneficial. The problem is that the grief may still be there or a new layer may present itself and society expects us to just get over it at a certain point.

Returning to counseling when you feel like you can use some extra support is an option and I wanted to share some alternative ways to honor grief as it arises that I have personally felt supported by and that I have seen help others.

Honor your grief with crystals

Many semi precious stones have healing properties.They can help support us with physical, emotional and spiritual wounds. You can sleep with a healing crystal by your bed, have it on your desk while you work or carry it around in your pocket all day. Some stones particularly great at supporting grief are Apache Tears, rose quartz, and amethyst.

Honor your grief with tapping

Also known as Emotional Freedom Technique is a focused and quick way to acknowledge your feelings whether it be anger, sadness or hopelessness and release them through tapping on specific meridian points on your body. It can take as little as 3 minutes to use tapping to ease heavy emotions.

Honor your grief with Energy Work

There are many types of energy medicine that can help but Reiki is one of my favorites. Sometimes we do not want to talk about the grief anymore. Receiving a Reiki healing session (or multiple) can help us find some relief and increase our ability to cope with life and many times with continued sessions we can find some peace.

Honor your grief with meditation or see a medium

Spending time with our loved one in their earthly body may no longer be an option but we can still set time aside to be with them in spirit. Many people are able to receive messages from their loved one while meditating. Whether you view a visit during meditation as real or imaginary the feeling can be full of love and support either way. Seeing a professional and trusted medium can also provide you with insight, messages and love from your loved one.

Honor your grief with a ritual

Many ancient cultures have rituals around honoring grief and death. In our families we may have lost our connection to some of these important and healing rituals. Creating an altar is one way to honor your loss and can be beautiful and cathartic. You can really use your creativity and use color, flowers, pieces of hand made art, letters, photos and treasured objects to make a special time and location for your grief to be held.

Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated in the Latin culture and on Nov 1 and 2 you can see many families acknowledging and celebrating the life of their loved ones. Community altars can provide a medium for powerful and collective healing. The important thing to remember is there is no one right way to grieve.Take gentle care with yourself and honor your grief in the way that resonates with you.