Moving Through GriefSample

Take Action

Finally, now that you know when you are in a positive or negative space, it’s time for action. Be curious. Be patient. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. The goal is to continue to understand how good communication occurs. There are patterns, themes, and habits to explore. Your relationships are important and deserve attention. Keep up the great work. If you can communicate about your grief, you’re gaining skills that many have yet to master. You can lead the way so that others will feel more equipped to talk about their hurts too.

It’s time to name what you lost. It may seem unnecessarily obvious. But there’s power in identifying your loss. If you take time to identify the good things you are missing, you will be able to mourn, heal, and then look for new areas of purpose. Take a moment to pray. Tell God, “I am grieving _____, and I need Your help to heal.”

What areas of your life have been impacted by loss? When our dreams are dashed in one area of our lives, purpose wanes in other areas as well. It is quite difficult to be full of vision in one area when we feel lifeless in another. To be whole, we must look at our entire self.

Take a moment to fill in the blank for yourself. I am grieving _____. Maybe you will write down several items. Then think about the love that came before your grief.

We may think we will feel better in the future if we stop loving now, but the absence of love does not bring happiness. Do you feel tempted to stifle love, imagining that blocking out love will protect you in some way?

We’ve all been in a negative space. We’ve experienced unmet expectations and told ourselves we will work on it tomorrow, thinking we will feel more motivated then. We think we can predict how we will feel in the future, but we struggle to accurately predict our emotions. We are poor predictors of our future emotions. However, we can look at the past and learn from it. If we find ourselves imagining the future as a dark place, it may be an indication that we are in a negative space. We can look at our wounds, acknowledge that we need help, and learn how to escape negative spaces.

Let's pray.

God,

Today I ask for Your help escaping from any negative spaces I'm in. I know I need to move toward positive spaces, but that can be so hard to do. Help my unmet expectations and needs be met and show me how I can speak up for myself when I need help.

Amen.

Journal:

Write a few sentences about what you are grieving and what your life was like before. Write a few sentences about what you are grateful for today and how you will take care of yourself today.