Mindful Colouring Creations
Grief and Growth: How to cope on your journey
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Let me give you hope and healing on your journey. Let me tell you that with love and learning you will find a way to cope with your grief. Be assured that you can grow with your grief. Trust that your dearly departed wants you to grieve well and go forward in everlasting peace and harmony.
Embracing Grief: as a pathway to peace
With the loss of your loved one you will be all too familiar with the sudden changes to your mind and body, and must be wondering if this will ever end. More than likely you will be suffering from complete mental and physical exhaustion and seeking to somehow get back to a place of relative peace and calm. Even though you know your life will be forever changed without your loved one in it, it doesn’t mean you can’t go forward.
Healing Habits: The holistic approach to coping with grief
As your brain frantically tries to make sense of it all, there is much you can do to make your journey of grief one of love, peace and eventual acceptance.
From Grief to Growth: 3 creativity tools
that helped my journey
Creative Writing Therapy
In times of profound loss, finding solace and healing can often be found in the simplest of gestures. Writing a letter to a loved one offers important therapeutic benefits when it comes to healing grief. Whether you need to say a loving goodbye or even seek forgiveness for harsh words said. Just saying I love and miss you can give you a totally cathartic and healing experience.
Be it a letter, a poem or maybe just keeping a journal, this can be an important bridge between the physical and the spiritual world. In the midst of grief, writing can be a lifeline, a way to honour your loved one and a path towards healing. You can decide whether you want to hold onto your writings as a keepsake for comfort or set them free as part of a letting go ritual. Thanks to a 9 year old girl from Nottingham, dozens of crematoriums across the UK are going to have 'postboxes to heaven' installed so people can send letters to deceased loved ones.
7 ways to express your grief with words
write about your shared memories
explain how you have changed and grown
share how you continue to honour and cherish them
tell them about what you have been up to
remind them of important dates and anniversary’s
say sorry and ask for forgiveness if you need to
let them know that you forgive them if you need to
Mindful Colouring with Affirmations
Colouring with affirmations can be a powerful tool for promoting healing, self-compassion and growth as you navigate the challenges of grief. As you engage the colouring process you get to explore and process your thoughts and feelings along the way. They can provide a welcome break for your grieving brain and introduces some much needed peace.
Used together they can help you shift your mindset, find comfort and cultivate resilience during this difficult time. Practised on a regular basis they can create a transformative and therapeutic experience that supports your general well-being. The Creative Grief Guide (mindful colouring workbook) is a valuable aid to have in your toolkit as you navigate through the grieving process. This heartfelt book was inspired by the loss of my own father and continues to bring comfort for those that need it.
Colouring affirmations to help you grieve
I am growing on my healing journey
I let my light shine in the shadows of grief
I can find peace after loss
I honour my thoughts and feelings
I am patient and kind with myself
Music Therapy
As we endure our loss, music can be a powerful tool for healing and reminiscence in the months and years to come. Music can bring comfort and joy and can also help us release hidden tears and pent up emotions. Music allows us to connect not only with ourselves, but also with our loved ones in a way that soothes our soul.
Creating a playlist
Create a playlist of songs you love or remind you of your loved one. Special songs that evoke powerful memories and precious moments. Keep adding to your playlist and tune in whenever you want to feel close and connected.
Musical Medicine: 5 ways music aids grief recovery
elevate mood
boost energy
reduce stress
express emotions
improve memory
5 Common mistakes to avoid while grieving
Don’t try to self medicate
Turning to alcohol or drugs to dull the pain of grief may provide temporary relief, but ultimately it can lead to increased anxiety, detachment from self and disturbed sleep patterns. Over time it may become difficult to adapt to life without your loved one . It is important to be fully present and engaged with reality when you are processing grief as being under the influence of a drug can create its own problems.
Don’t neglect yourself
Being caught up in grief can be all consuming and it would be very easy to neglect your emotional and physical self. Always check in with your own needs and do whatever you can to make sure you are following your usual self care rituals. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, or to accept it when it’s offered.
Don’t hide away
Try to venture outdoors as soon as you think you are able as this will help you get back into your normal routine. Finding support from others will also provide some sense of normality. Someone who is a good listener, who you feel safe with and able to share your innermost thoughts and feelings. If you can't talk to family or friends, a loss support group may be of benefit.
Don’t make big life changing decisions
If you are dealing with a significant loss, you may have to deal with some major changes to your life and circumstances. Before committing to any big decisions, take some time to process your thoughts and feelings, only moving forward when you are ready.
Don’t set a timeline for your grief
When you are grieving you are healing and that never ends. The journey that you are on can be greatly affected by how much TLC you are able to give yourself. Just be patient with yourself and take one day at a time. You can experiment and discover what healing habits work for you. As the emotions wash over you, whether its week 3 or year 3, healing habits will always be there for you when you need them.
A Mother’s Love: Gone but not forgotten
I lost my darling Mum just before Christmas and it was important for me to be able to share her shining light at the service. Incredibly spurred on by Mum, this poem just fell onto the page as soon as I sat down to pen it. I thought it would take days not minutes and just like that my first poem was created from the pure love and loss of grief.
Journey without end: This is not goodbye, but a new beginning
Death of our loved one may seem like the ultimate goodbye, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the relationship. Your love for one another is not bound by earthly planes but endures through the infinite realm of eternity. Over time you will be able to embrace the memories of the life you shared together and find comfort there when you need it most. The loss of a loved one will stay with you forever and although you will forever grieve for them you can grieve well and learn to grow with that grief.
Grief Resources:
Help Lines:
https://www.cruse.org.uk/ We offer free and confidential support services, and are open to all, no matter when a death occurred