Dear Nick,
Your death has been my greatest teacher. I could have shut down. Instead I opened my heart to receive the unconditional love you left with me the eve of your transition into the light. Your death woke me up. Released my fears to embrace my grief and empower me with a voice I can’t ignore.
My grief has not changed me, it has revealed me. –Michele Bell
My son taught me another most important lesson, that our riches are found within. When your heart is ripped open with a loss, grief creates ebb and flow as the current of grief will reveal you. My soul craves the passions of living and breathing, but also about preparing myself for the moment “until we meet again.”
I was now ready to journey into my own theme of grief stages that saved me. I mean SAVED me.
The 7 Stages of Grief ALIGNMENT…
E M B R A C E
Living with Intent
1. Express – Emotional Journaling: A journal acts as a free talk therapist…”someone” you can spill all your feelings to, no matter what, without judgment. Getting your emotions down on paper can help you to process difficult times as well as help you with sorting out general emotional difficulty. Using a journal to self-express can relieve anxiety, help you to understand negative emotional triggers, and resolve problems in your daily life.
2. Meditate – When we connect to our breathing consciously, we connect to the present moment. Quite your mind to tap into your deepest intentions. Be open to receive the messages the universe sends you. And allow that knowledge to guide you.
3. Be Present– Put down the balls you’re juggling for a moment. Let’s embrace the beauty of mono-tasking. The act of being present is, in a sense, a meditation without meditating. Stillness comes from action – breathing, attending, witnessing, releasing and breathing again. This simple cycle can profoundly change the way that we experience our world. Mindful living will help connect you to your life purpose.
4. Rejuvenate – Disconnect. Reassess your life. Get away on a day trip. Pamper yourself. Cleanse. Yoga Dance. Declutter your home. Schedule time for a divine self care ritual in the morning and evening. Create a vision board. Do nothing.
5. Awaken – Turn your attention inward and observe yourself, placing your attention firmly in the present moment. The NOW. Be mindful of your thoughts. Analyze your feelings. Pay attention to the sensations in your body. Feel your breath. Engage in self-examination, and survey your situation and surroundings from a higher perspective. The goal is: to retrieve what was locked away within us, to re-establish contact with our higher centers, and ultimately remember who we are. And it all begins with self-observation and listening to your heart.
6. Connect – Self-compassion: Take 20 minutes daily to honor our bodies, our minds, and our spirit. Adopt an attitude of gratitude. In giving thanks your blessings will multiply. When we focus on gratitude, we teach our brains to look for positive things in our world. Be still. Meditation is medicine for the mind and healing for the soul. In meditation, we allow stillness of our minds, and this is how we connect to inspiration.
7. Eat Healthy – Mindful eating also known as intuitive eating aims to reconnect us more deeply with the experience of eating. Enjoying our food is what we are after. Here are some examples:
- Know Your Food: Considering the health value on your shopping list. Fill most of your cart with the Produce section and avoid center aisles and check-out counter.
- Savor the Silence: Reflect with gratitude before you begin eating. Silence phones. Shut off the TV. Focus on “how” you eat, not what is around you while you eat.
- Savor the Flavor: Smell. Chew. Taste. Bring all your senses to the meal. Take time to enjoy the flavors and textures. Chew 25 times to prevent overeating.
- Small portions: Limit the size of your plate to 9 inches or less. Smaller plates will help you with portion control. You crave less if you see less.
- Utensil Release: Putting down your utensils between bites will allow you to enjoy what you already have in your mouth. The Mindfulness Raisin Exercise.
And so to EMBRACE the lesson of grief is to remember them with “more love”,
By purposely aligning your grief with these above methods, you can be mentally healthy during the process of dealing with a significant loss.
“Making Art from Your Broken Heart”
Learn more about UNALOME on my YouTube channel
Healing takes time, but we can look forward to peace. When we are fully present, we realize that all is one. When we feel one with our soul, we attempt to thrive in our lives. Change starts from “within”, then leads us never to forget the beautiful stillness underneath our grief mask. Change allows the wisdom of simplicity to create oneness and compassion, to create, in alignment, art of ourselves within our broken hearts.
“In grief, we honor love, not the pain and suffering” –Michele Bell
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Too excited not to share! Here is the 1st sneak peek at our book cover. Soon to be released. Still tying up a few last minute details as I designed this entire book from scratch myself.
It was worth all 11 years of writing!
And now, 2018 release 💕 Year Of the 11