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GRIEF AND THE HOLIDAYS: COPING WITH LOSS AND FINDING WAYS TO HEAL The holiday season is a time often associated with joy, togetherness, and celebration. But for many, it also brings feelings of grief and loss. Whether you've lost a loved one, a partner, or even a close friend, the holidays can magnify your sense of absence and sadness. Memories of past celebrations together can make the season particularly difficult, leaving you feeling isolated, heartbroken, and emotionally overwhelmed. If you're struggling with grief during the holidays, know that you’re not alone. Many people face the painful reality of celebrating without someone they love, and it's okay to feel sadness. Let’s explore how you can cope with grief during the holidays, find ways to heal, and build new traditions that bring comfort and meaning. The Reality of Grief During the Holidays Holidays are filled with family gatherings, dinners, and shared traditions, which can remind us of the absence of loved ones. Grief can make moments that should be joyful feel painful instead. It’s normal to experience: ·Emotional Waves ·Loneliness ·Nostalgia and Regret Grief is not a linear process—it doesn’t have a set timeline. During the holidays, it may hit harder than expected. But recognizing these feelings is the first step in healing. Coping Strategies for Grief During the Holidays Here are some practical ways to navigate the holiday season while coping with grief: 1. Allow Yourself to Feel the emotions 2. Create New Holiday Traditions 3. Get busy with other activities 4. Spend Time with Supportive People 5. Set Realistic Expectations for the Season 6. Focus on Self-Care and Mindfulness 7. Reach Out for Support Grieving during the holidays is a deeply personal journey, and It’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to feel sadness, to remember, and to miss someone deeply. But it’s also possible to find moments of healing and hope. Remember, healing isn’t about forgetting the past; it’s about finding new ways to cherish your memories while embracing the present. The holidays can still bring joy and meaning—you just have to allow yourself the space and time to heal, one step at a time.

Remaining Productive at Work During Grief 💐 Grief is one of life’s hardest experiences, and balancing it with the demands of work can feel overwhelming. I recently lost my father, and the pain of this loss has sometimes made it difficult to focus, stay motivated, and remain productive. If you’re struggling to navigate grief while maintaining your professional responsibilities, here are some tips I’m working to implement to stay afloat during this challenging time. 1. Acknowledge Your Grief The first step is allowing myself to feel. In Landed: Transformational Stories of Immigrant Women (by Gayathri Shukla and Elena Esina), I shared my story, Still I Feel (on page 35), where I emphasized the importance of embracing your emotions and being present with what is happening around you. Grief isn’t something you can shut off when you log into work. Pretending everything is fine can lead to emotional exhaustion. Acknowledging your grief, both to yourself and, if comfortable, to trusted colleagues/manager, is essential for finding balance. 2. Communicate with Your Employer If you feel ready, speak to your employer about your situation. Many organizations offer bereavement leave or flexible work arrangements to support employees during tough times. Even if formal leave isn’t available, your manager may adjust your workload or deadlines. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you need, whether it’s extra support or just understanding. 3. Pace Yourself and Take Breaks You might not perform at your usual level, and that’s okay. Break tasks into smaller steps, and prioritize critical work. If possible, delegate or postpone less urgent tasks. Taking breaks to recharge—whether it’s a short walk or a moment to breathe—can help reset your mind. Remember, it’s okay to slow down and prioritize your well-being. 4. Set Boundaries It can be tempting to throw yourself into work to cope with grief, but setting boundaries is essential. Make time to grieve outside of work so you're not constantly feeling the need to stay fully engaged. Grief can sometimes begin before the actual loss, like when I first heard about my father's cancer diagnosis, and it intensified after his passing in August. By establishing boundaries, you protect your emotional energy and give yourself space to process your feelings. 5. Seek Professional Support If you’re finding it hard to cope, reach out to a counselor, therapist, or support group. Speaking with someone who understands grief can help you process emotions and develop coping strategies. 6. Use Grief as a Time for Reflection While painful, grief can also be a time for reflection and realignment. Consider how your loved one impacted your life, and let their legacy inspire your approach to work and personal goals. This reflection can lead to a renewed sense of purpose, helping you navigate through the hardest moments. I hope these strategies offer support to others navigating similar challenges.

Grief is a complex, isolating experience that goes beyond losing loved ones. We grieve lost dreams, physical abilities, relationships, medical diagnoses, or shifts in personal identity. The holiday season can amplify these feelings, leaving little room to hide from our pain. Grief doesn’t just manifest as sadness; it also blocks us from experiencing positive emotions, leading to symptoms like guilt, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, fatigue, anxiety, and emotional numbness. Unresolved grief can affect our focus, productivity, and personal or professional relationships. Grief doesn’t follow a set timeline. Traditional coping mechanisms can help, but methods like the NLP Grief Process, Core Transformation, and Wholeness Work offer a deeper approach. They gently reconnect us to the emotions we’re grieving, transforming loss into ongoing love and connection. These approaches help us recognize and honor the positive aspects of what we’ve lost, rather than focusing on the emptiness. As Steve Andreas, a developer of the NLP Grief Process, said, “Many people have the mistaken notion that they have to say goodbye to stop grieving, but that’s backwards. What’s necessary is to say hello again and reestablish the loving connection.” Transformational grief work allows us to reconnect with what we’ve lost in an empowering way, letting the relationship evolve instead of fade. Grief can subtly affect us in ways we don’t recognize. Few examples of how grief may still be impacting your life: - Difficulty concentrating due to thoughts of loss - Sleep disruptions, like trouble falling asleep or waking frequently - Fatigue that doesn’t improve despite rest - Anxiety or numbness, feeling disconnected from yourself or others - Guilt or self-criticism, thinking you “should” have moved on but still struggling Approaches like the NLP Grief Process, Core Transformation, and Wholeness Work guide us to reconnect with positive memories tied to what we’ve lost, allowing us to create lasting bonds rather than pushing grief away. They help us integrate blocked emotions, enabling us to appreciate and celebrate what we’ve had, not just focus on its absence. Working with trained professionals skilled in these techniques ensures that grief work is approached safely and effectively, helping build a healthier connection to our memories. Grief doesn’t have to be something we simply endure. Transformational methods offer more than temporary relief—they help us find connection, resilience, and lasting peace. By engaging with these approaches, we can heal, move forward, and live with purpose, strength, and gratitude for all we've experienced. #GriefHealing #EmotionalResilience #CoreTransformation #WholenessWork #Mindfulness #PersonalDevelopment #MentalHealth #LinkedInCommunity

Life After a Tragic Loss: Finding Your New Normal Experiencing a tragic loss can leave you feeling as though your world has been turned upside down. The pain and uncertainty can be overwhelming, but by taking deliberate steps, it is possible to rebuild and find joy again. Here are three critical ways to begin accepting your new normal and moving forward:  1. Acknowledge That It Happened The first step toward healing is to confront the reality of the loss. This can be one of the most painful steps, but it’s crucial.  Allow Yourself to Grieve: Don’t suppress your emotions. Grieving is a natural and necessary process.   Face the Facts: Whether it’s talking openly about what happened or journaling your thoughts, acknowledging the reality allows you to begin processing your feelings.   Practice Self-Compassion: Accept that it’s okay to feel broken, angry, or numb. There’s no “right way” to grieve.  By acknowledging the loss, you create space to begin healing rather than avoiding or denying your pain.  2. Know When You Need Help It’s important to recognize when the weight of your grief becomes too much to carry alone.  Identify Red Flags: Prolonged feelings of hopelessness, trouble functioning in daily life, or having a sense of being stuck in grief may signal the need for help.   Reach Out to Trusted People: Share your feelings with a close friend, family member, or mentor.   Seek Professional Support: Therapists, grief counselors, or support groups can offer guidance tailored to your journey.  Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. It’s an act of self-care that can make the healing process more manageable.  3. Be Willing to Ask for Help Beyond knowing when you need help, be proactive in seeking it. This can feel uncomfortable at first however it’s a key step in rebuilding your life.  Start Small: If asking for help feels daunting, begin with small steps like requesting someone’s company or assistance with daily tasks.   Build a Support Network: Surround yourself with people who uplift and support you.   Accept Help When Offered: Sometimes, people may offer help before you even ask. Allowing others to be there for you strengthens your bonds and lightens your load.  Turning Everyday Moments into Joy  Not every day will feel great, and that’s okay. But as you navigate life after a tragic loss, you can learn to find joy in small moments:  Celebrate Small Wins: Did you smile today? Get out of bed? Take note of these victories.   Practice Gratitude: Reflect on what brings you comfort, no matter how small.   Reconnect with What Matters- Hobbies, nature, or spending time with loved ones can help reignite joy.  Grieving is a journey without a fixed timeline. By acknowledging your loss, seeking help, and embracing support, you can find the strength to rebuild and create a life where joy is possible again. Life After Death 😘 #speakerlife #grief #griefjourney #renewyourjoy

Have you experienced grief? I'd like to know more from your experiences please. Grief and burnout are interconnected especially for those of us who are late identified autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD. Grieving is part of what I call the "processing phase" after identification. Grief comes for a wide range of reasons and experiences from the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the end of a job and more. For those of us who are neurodistinct and also have trauma and overly taxed sensory systems, grief and burnout can show up and present in a much wider and deeper way than the societal expectation and definitions of grief. As part of my upcoming series on grief and burnout during the holidays, I could use your help and would truly value your personal insights and experiences on grief, the intersection of grief and burnout and how the holidays feel for you. You are invited to share as little or as much as feels good for you. No pressure, no judgment and no requirement to feel or be a certain way, that's what's important here. You are invited to email me your responses to the questions below: (energize@WhittingtonWellBeing.com Subject: Grief) 1. What was the reason for your grief ie late identification, death of a loved one or pet, job loss, separation from family etc? 2. How did you experience grief in ways that other people didn't understand? 3. Did you also experience burnout, before, during and/or after grief? 4. How long did your grief feel really big to you? weeks, months, years? 5. What are things that helped you during grief? Thank you so much for being willing to share. With your permission I would like to share any golden nuggets of wisdom you have and will anonymize any data regarding type of grief, experiences, burnout and duration. I will only share your first name in regard to suggestions for things that have helped during grief IF you give me written permission in your reply. I believe in honoring each person's right to privacy. Again, thank you for contributing to this very important conversation especially during a time when so many of us have struggled and not been understood. Navigating the holiday season while carrying the weight of grief can feel like a daunting journey. It's like trying to find your way through a snowstorm without a map. Remember, it's okay to feel lost. Grief doesn't follow a calendar or a timeline, and it certainly doesn't pause for the holidays. Embrace the idea that grief is a form of love—love that has transformed but still exists. Allow yourself the space to feel, reflect, and connect with those memories. The deadline to respond is by this Friday, Dec. 6 at midnight central time. Please share within your networks so that those who are grieving have resources for support and a place to share their unique experiences.

When you lose your life partner in old age, it's a major setback for the senior people mentally. It is challenging and emotionally difficult experience. Here are some ways someone might find some measure of happiness or peace after such a loss: 👉 Allowing Grief: It's essential to give oneself permission to grieve fully. Grief is a natural process, and it's okay to feel sadness, anger, confusion, and all the other emotions that come with loss. It's important not to rush this process but to allow oneself to feel and express these emotions. 👉 Seeking Support: Talking to friends, family members, or a grief counselor can provide immense comfort. Support groups specifically for those who have lost a partner can also offer understanding and companionship. 👉 Engaging in Hobbies and Activities: Rediscovering interests and activities that bring joy can be a way to find happiness again. Whether it's gardening, painting, cooking, or any other hobby, immersing oneself in activities can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment. 👉 Connecting with Others: Building and nurturing relationships with friends and family members can help combat loneliness. Making new connections, whether through social clubs, volunteering, or other community activities, can also provide a sense of belonging. 👉 Taking Care of Health: Physical health is closely tied to mental and emotional well-being. Engaging in regular exercise, eating healthily, and getting enough sleep can contribute to an overall sense of wellness. 👉 Creating New Routines: Adjusting to life without a partner often means establishing new routines and habits. Setting small, achievable goals for each day can provide a sense of accomplishment and progress. 👉 Honoring the Memory: Finding ways to honor and remember the deceased partner can be comforting. This might include creating a memory book, planting a tree in their honor, or participating in activities that they enjoyed. 👉 Seeking Spiritual Comfort: For those who are religious or spiritual, turning to faith and engaging in spiritual practices can offer solace and hope. 👉 Giving Back: Volunteering or helping others in need can bring a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Contributing to the community or causes that are meaningful can also create a sense of connection and positivity. 👉 Professional Help: In some cases, grief can be overwhelming, leading to depression or other mental health issues. Seeking the help of a therapist or counselor can provide valuable support and guidance through the grieving process. It's important to remember that healing from the loss of a life partner is a deeply personal journey, and there is no "right" way to grieve or find happiness again. Each person's path will be unique, and it's crucial to be patient and compassionate with oneself during this difficult time. Best Regards, Upendra Nadgaonkar

Nurturing Your Well-Being for Healing Through Grief. If you’ve ever experienced the loss of a loved one, you know the emotional rollercoaster it takes you on—overwhelm, sadness, numbness, and maybe even anger. Grief can feel like walking through thick fog with no end in sight. I’ve been there too with the passing of my mother and most recently my beautiful furbaby. In the midst of that fog, it’s easy to overlook one important thing—yourself. But when emotions are heightened, self-care becomes more crucial than ever. It’s not about ‘getting over it’ or rushing through your grief. It's about giving yourself the space to heal, to feel, and to process. So, how can you start taking care of yourself when you’re grieving? Here are a few simple, but powerful steps: ✨ Allow Yourself to Feel: Grief isn't linear. One day you may feel fine, and the next you could be overwhelmed by sadness. It's all okay. Give yourself permission to ride the emotional waves without judgment. You don’t need to ‘have it all together’, just be kind to yourself. 💧 Stay Hydrated & Nourished: Your body is processing a lot, and grief can be physically draining. Drinking water, eating nourishing foods, and resting are foundational acts of self-care. Think of it as fuelling your healing. 🤍 Take Time to Rest: Grief is exhausting. Sleep may not come easily, but resting, even if it’s sitting quietly or listening to soothing music, can provide some relief. Your body and mind need moments of stillness. 🧘🏽♀️ Move Gently: It might be hard to get out of bed, but simple movement—like a short walk or stretching—can help release some of the emotional tension stored in your body. Be gentle with yourself. 🌱 Lean on Support: Whether it's friends, family or a therapist, you don’t have to carry the weight of your grief alone. Let people in and allow them to support you. Grieving isn’t something you ‘get over,’ it’s something you move through—and self-care is a lifeline during this difficult process. It won’t take away the pain, but it will give you the strength to process it in your own time and your own way. To those navigating loss, remember this: it’s okay to grieve, and it’s okay to take care of yourself while doing so. You deserve that grace. 💖 #SelfCare #WellBeing #MentalHealth #Grief #GriefJourney #CopingWithLoss #RestAndRecovery #TakeCareOfYourself #YouAreNotAlone #GrowthThroughGrief #Resilience

Navigating Grief: Understanding the Process and Coping with the Loss of a Loved One Grieving the loss of a loved one is an intensely personal and complex journey. Understanding the stages of grief and discovering effective coping strategies can help individuals navigate this challenging process and find a path towards healing. Grief often unfolds in stages, commonly identified as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Initially, denial serves as a defence mechanism, helping to buffer the shock of loss. As the reality sets in, anger may surface, directed at oneself, others, or even the deceased. Bargaining follows, where individuals might dwell on "what if" scenarios, hoping to reverse or lessen the loss. Depression often sets in next, characterized by deep sadness and withdrawal. Eventually, acceptance emerges, allowing individuals to come to terms with their loss and begin to adjust to life without their loved ones. Coping with grief involves finding personal strategies that offer comfort and support. Seeking connection with others who have experienced similar losses can provide a sense of understanding and shared empathy. Support groups, whether in-person or online, offer a space to express feelings and receive validation. Additionally, talking to a therapist or counsellor can provide professional guidance and coping tools tailored to individual needs. Engaging in self-care practices is crucial during this time. Regular physical activity, maintaining a balanced diet, and ensuring adequate sleep can help manage the physical toll of grief. Creative outlets such as writing, art, or music can serve as therapeutic avenues for expressing emotions. Honouring the memory of the loved one through rituals, memorials, or personal tributes can also foster a sense of connection and continuity. Navigating the process of grief is a deeply personal journey that involves understanding its stages and finding effective coping strategies. By seeking support, engaging in self-care, and honouring the memory of the loved one, individuals can find their way through the pain and begin to heal. Each person's path is unique, but with time and support, it is possible to move towards acceptance and find peace amidst the sorrow. https://lnkd.in/dW5VkWgp

                  Strategies to Cope with Grief 1. Understand That Not Everyone Will Know How To Help You Unfortunately, because there is a lot of misinformation out there about dealing with loss, a lot of people simply won’t know how to help you. 2. Take Responsibility For Your Recovery It  is essential that we take responsibility for our feelings, including the pain of a loss.   3. Accept That Your Life Will Likely Change Our life will be forever affected, but the good news is that grief can also produce significant psychological and spiritual growth, depending on how we handle it. 4. Talk About How You Feel More important than anything else when we grieve is to be able to be open about your feelings to someone else you trust and value   5. Write Your Loved One A Letter Part of the reason we can get stuck in our grief is because the relationship we had with our loved one is in some way emotionally incomplete. Writing the letter to loved one gives emotional fulfilment   6. Participate In Grief Rituals There are number of rituals that can help you in the grieving process including memorial service, lighting candles and prayer services. 8. Find Comfort In Your Spiritual/Religious Practices Acts of going to church, praying, talking to a clergy member, or meditating can provide considerable comfort in dealing with your grief.   9. Focus Your Energy On Self-Care Activities These include getting adequate sleep, ensuring that your diet is healthy and balanced, exercising regularly, and building fun activities into your day. 10. Reduce Some Of Your Expectations For Yourself After a loss, it is very helpful to re-evaluate the expectations you place on yourself, in terms of a variety of life activities. 11. Hold Off On Making Major Life Decisions Or Changes When you’re grieving and in a lot of emotional pain, it tends to be a bad time to make major life changes or decisions. Letting things settle down first, if possible, can avoid potential choices that you may later regret.   12. Allow Yourself Any Potential Happiness Returning feelings of happiness are your natural gift and indicate that you are slowly adapting to the loss in a healthy way. 13. Honor Your Loved One In Some Creative Or Meaningful Way  You also might want to meet with friends and family and talk as a group about all of the positive memories you have of the deceased.   14. Spend Some Time On Your Own If You Need It Alone time may be an essential part of your healing journey. This process may require some real reflection on your part, which sometimes can only be done on your own.   15. Seek Professional Help If your grief feels like it is just too much for you to handle, don’t be afraid to ask for some professional assistance or support. This might be through your counsellor or a psychologist. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. To Get help drop me message on LinkedIn or at Email-wellnesscoachpriya29@gmail.com #Wellbeing        

Have you experienced grief? I'd like to know more from your experiences please. Grief and burnout are interconnected especially for those of us who are late identified autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD. Grieving is part of what I call the "processing phase" after identification. Grief comes for a wide range of reasons and experiences from the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the end of a job and more. For those of us who are neurodistinct and also have trauma and overly taxed sensory systems, grief and burnout can show up and present in a much wider and deeper way than the societal expectation and definitions of grief. As part of my upcoming series on grief and burnout during the holidays, I could use your help and would truly value your personal insights and experiences on grief, the intersection of grief and burnout and how the holidays feel for you. You are invited to share as little or as much as feels good for you. No pressure, no judgment and no requirement to feel or be a certain way, that's what's important here. You are invited to email me your responses to the questions below: (energize@WhittingtonWellBeing.com Subject: Grief) 1. What was the reason for your grief ie late identification, death of a loved one or pet, job loss, separation from family etc? 2. How did you experience grief in ways that other people didn't understand? 3. Did you also experience burnout, before, during and/or after grief? 4. How long did your grief feel really big to you? weeks, months, years? 5. What are things that helped you during grief? Thank you so much for being willing to share. With your permission I would like to share any golden nuggets of wisdom you have and will anonymize any data regarding type of grief, experiences, burnout and duration. I will only share your first name in regard to suggestions for things that have helped during grief IF you give me written permission in your reply. I believe in honoring each person's right to privacy. Again, thank you for contributing to this very important conversation especially during a time when so many of us have struggled and not been understood. Navigating the holiday season while carrying the weight of grief can feel like a daunting journey. It's like trying to find your way through a snowstorm without a map. Remember, it's okay to feel lost. Grief doesn't follow a calendar or a timeline, and it certainly doesn't pause for the holidays. Embrace the idea that grief is a form of love—love that has transformed but still exists. Allow yourself the space to feel, reflect, and connect with those memories. The deadline to respond is by this Friday, Dec. 6 at midnight central time. Please share within your networks so that those who are grieving have resources for support and a place to share their unique experiences.