Love, Loss, and Leaning into an Addict’s Poem on “Wasted Time”

Love, Loss, and Leaning into an Addict’s Poem

Mental Health Awareness

Several weeks ago, I received my new laptop, which led me to go through files in my current system, deciding what I want to transfer and what needs to be deleted.

It is as daunting as going through a file cabinet. A task that needs to be done, but can be so overwhelming.

Whether the files are digital or paper, it’s difficult to go through these items. It can be very triggering. Finding documentation of injuries, illnesses, deaths, financial problems, old photos, cards and letters, and more, can bring about moments of grief. I believe that’s why it’s easier to clean out someone else’s “junk” than our own. The emotional attachment to items can make de-cluttering anything a daunting task.

As I went through the files, I came across a poem written by my half-brother, Jeff. I made a copy of it, and have read it to several people in the past few weeks of finding it again.

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Love, Loss, and Lessons Learned from an Uprooted Tree

Love, Loss and...

One of the benefits of a warmer-than-normal fall in the Midwest is the opportunity to get out for a walk without bundling up from head-to-toe. It’s especially helpful for me, as walking is one of my go-to, self-care modalities as I process grief.

One of the pitfalls is, though, while the warmth and sunshine are appreciated, the storms that are trying to settle us into winter weather have definitely created havoc.

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Love, Loss and Losing Remi

Love and Loss
Remington, my devoted co-worker.

Love, Loss and Losing Remi

To say the past few years have been fraught with loss is a complete understatement. Some days, it feels like the hits just keep on coming.

I’m sick of dealing with grief and trauma.

One of the biggest myths people hear is “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” Hah – I beg to differ.

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Love, Loss and Learning to Listen while Healing

Love, Loss and Learning to Listen while Healing

 

I’ve added this post to my “Love, Loss and …” series, because so far, the year 2020 has been a “big T” trauma. Our entire world is learning to live with grief and trauma on so many levels. And as I know, trauma healing begins with someone who will listen. Trauma healing also needs one to listen to one’s self and to self-reflect.

When this Facebook post hit my feed the other night, I wanted to hit “share,” add a heart emoticon, and send it into the virtual world. (link here)

Something stopped me. I felt I needed to say more, and I took a few days to realize that, yes, I needed to do more than just share. It took me a few days to gather my thoughts about this interview with Blake Hairston.

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Love, Loss and Learning to Self-care with Art

self-care
self-care
The Mask – Jason Rice – April 2020 (mixed media)

In my last post I discussed my “self-care” emergency kit. While I incorporate several modalities, my favorite is the “Daily Challenge.”

Every day, I challenge myself to learn or try something new. Sometimes it is as simple as looking up a word I don’t recognize. Other times it’s reading a new topic, or challenging myself to walk 15 more minutes. Some days, it’s trying something new with art.

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Love, Loss and Learning how to Self-care in a Crisis

As I continue my healing journey, one thing I am constantly reminded of is to “self-care.” I’m sure others are probably tiring of me reminding them to do the same.

Self-care may sound a little “woo-woo,” but it really is not. It’s not all about massages or mani-pedis, though they can be incorporated, too. In times of trauma recovery, self-care is a reminder to be gentle with yourself in all situations, and to not only learn your limits, but to honor them, too.

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Love, loss and life lessons

Love, Loss and Life Lessons
Weight of grief – Sculpture by Celeste Roberge – www.celesteroberge.com

As I continue on my healing journey, I am learning lessons on love and loss.

As I mentioned in my last post, I feel grief is the death of hope. It’s the loss of the loved one, the dream, the life you hoped for.

Grief sucks. Grief produces a trauma all of its own. You can feel its physical affects.

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My mental health journey – May is #MentalHealth Month

My mental health journey
My mental health journey – recognizing that I am stronger than I know…

Why is it that when we have a physical ailment, we feel free to go to the doctor? Yet, when we have a mental health issue, often times we don’t seek help.

There is a stigma around seeking mental health treatment, and it is killing us in many ways: broken souls, suicides, abuse, stress-related illnesses, substance abuse, etc.

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