Saturday, November 15, 2014

Grief Tips

 

Good morning Ladies ~ Today we will have some tips to help us when we have times of grief.

Call out to God. Regardless of how you are feeling, talk to God, whenever you feel like it. He is there for us 24/7, every day we are blessed with. He can handle our feelings whether they be calm, angry, frustrated or fearful. Talking to Him is a balm to our souls. We are letting things out instead of holding them in. He hears us and is working all things out.

Read God’s Word and other uplifting pieces. I read Psalms a lot after first losing my husband. David went through a lot of grief in his life, but he never lost his faith in God, even in his darkest moments.

Do something for someone else. This really helps when we are down.  Doing a kind thing for someone else lifts them up and also lifts us up.

Eat delicious healthy foods. Keeping up our strength by eating nutritious foods will work wonders in our moods.  Eat colorful foods. Fix something that smells wonderful too.

Drink lots of water. During times of grieving or great stress, our bodies become depleted. We need water for our health.

Get exercise. Take a walk around the block, your apartment complex, in the mall, or just around your house. Raise your arms, try to touch your toes, breathe deeply.

I enjoy working in my gardens.  They were great therapy for me before I lost my husband, but have become even better therapy now that he is gone.

Be creative. Do you have a creative hobby? It may be hard at first to get back into doing something that you enjoy doing, making jewelry, painting, needleworking, gardening, working with wood, cooking, baking, writing, paper crafting, etc. That first little step of working with your hands, using your mind, will help you on your road to recovery.

Find a friend. Having a friend that we can talk to about how we are feeling is priceless. Having someone we can do things with is great too.

We have to get outside the ‘box’ of grief, so that we can be an example of God’s love and tender mercies.  Grief doesn’t end overnight. We will have some grief the rest of our lives, because of our loss.  But, it becomes less, is not so overpowering. We grow through it.

Listen to music. Music lifts our spirits. It doesn’t matter the style. Flow with it, let it fill your whole being. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

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With that thought, I’ll close this post with a song Dotti said was going through her head.  It is a good one, reminding us of God’s love and tender care for us.

 

 

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31