Have you ever heard an angry toddler dig his heels in and proclaim, ‘all by myself!’ ?
Do you know the difference between an angry toddler and a terrorist? [sometimes you can negotiate with the terrorist.]
I have a confession. In the aftermath of losing a couple close family members I was that toddler, convinced I could handle a crushing season of grief all by myself. How difficult could this be? She was only my best friend, #1 life cheerleader, (mother!) Surely I could coast through this on my own.
People would ask how things were going, and I would continually drop the dangerous four letter word, F-I-N-E! Ever done that? You pretend everything’s under control, when in reality you’re about to pull the covers over your head and surrender?
Everyone handles grief differently, but I found it was important to have some time alone to process the unpredictable emotions. The trouble came when a little cozy time alone turned from days to weeks and eventually months. That’s when “alone time” turns into full-on loneliness.
Isolation can tempt you to believe the little voice in your head. The one whispering lies like: “you’re too weak to survive this.” And the scariest thought I recall was, “you haven’t gotten any cards or flowers for months! Nobody really cares about you.”
Here’s the truth: * you are stronger than you think you are, * with time and the hard work of grief, you will make it through this; * there are people who care about you!
Connecting through grief doesn’t require an organized group. Is there a trusted friend who seems to gets what you’re going through…and might want to join you for a walk, or a funny movie? One of my favorite grief support sites is Open to Hope. I love the way they bring people together to comfort each other.
You don’t have to go through this all by yourself!
How have you connected with others after loss?