The Truth About Grief Module Three

Self-Care Practices

Materials

There are many barriers to moving through loss and change. Forgiveness, fear, and familiarity are some challenges to our transformation.

The F Words

Self-care cannot be underestimated. Being in these human bodies can feel hard and painful. Taking care of our essential physical needs may seem like a simple task, and it is an effort that can feel monumental when we are grieving. Drinking plenty of water and eating healthy meals, taking a bath or shower, and exercise and rest can help us find daily balance in the midst of the disorder of change.

Self-care Ritual

15 SELF CARE QUESTIONS

THREE SELF CARE Water RITUALS

Practices

Many of the participants in this training course are vocational, professional and/or natural caregivers: mothers, fathers, grandparents, nurses, doctors, teachers, therapists, counselors, healing practitioners. For those who care for a living, taking care of self may feel new or may not have always been a priority. Self-care is a powerful act of love.

Choose one new self-care practice this week from the links on this page. Make a note or reminder for yourself so that you intentionally provide care to yourself at least once daily. Observe and notice how it feels to take the time to care for yourself as you have so often cared for others.

SEVEN STONES

CREATING A SELF CARE RITUAL

Self-care is an important part of our healing. Grief can consume us. It takes up a lot of space. We can ensure we can be present for ourselves when we practice acts of self-care. Making habit into ritual is an easy way to offer ourselves physical and emotional care. A cup of tea or glass of water, when we take it in with presence and awareness, is an act of self-care. Things we do each day, fix ourselves a meal, take a bath, lie down when we feel tired—tending to our physical wellbeing allows us to offer ourselves compassion and to tune into what our bodies are telling us with regard to our needs.

Ritual Expression

Next week will be our last gathering as a training group. Please reflect on this week’s material and our time together as a whole. You may have noticed some subtle shifts or changes in your physical and/or emotional body. You may feel called to change your routine or toward a new activity. You may notice connections and relationships changing. At our last gathering, we will have time to share and explore how loss and this work have changed or transformed us. Perhaps some of that transformation is still underway.

Thank you for your commitment to this work. It is my pleasure and honor to know each of you and our group through this unique experience.