Different Ways of Coping With Grief

Experiencing a loss of someone close to you initiates a period of grief and bereavement that can be almost insurmountable at times. Daily tasks like working and socialising seem irrelevant and pointless in the face of your significant loss, and maintaining a household or running errands can be impossible. Grief and bereavement affects everybody differently, and everyone will face their own unique struggles.

When facing these periods of loss, there are many methods and strategies people suggest in order to help you heal. Each of these options can only be assessed by the individual, you should never force yourself into a healing process you think isn’t going to work for you. One such of these options is Yoga, the ancient Indian practice of slow stretching and holding postures in order to boost physical and mental well-being. Yoga can help alleviate grief in a number of ways.

Physical Exercise

Maintaining a physical exercise routine can be incredibly challenging during periods of bereavement, but exercise can help alleviate grief, provide a physical outlet for intense emotions, and make your brain produce endorphins that help relieve stress and raise your mood. If you want a stronger emphasis on physical exercise, Pilates may be a preferable option for you due to its focus on core strength.

Meditation

Meditation is an ancient practice in its own right, and there are thousands of varying approaches and theories surrounding meditation. But all of these hinge on the basic principle of emptying one’s mind of everyday stress and worries, which Yoga can also help provide. There is a large meditative element to Yoga which helps you focus on the movements of your body rather than your inner thoughts or emotions.

Routine

Keeping any sort of routine after a loss can be difficult. Grief can often badly affect your sleeping pattern which, in turn, affects your ability to schedule consistently. But trying to maintain a routine, even if for just one or two activities, can help with your healing process. Whether you’re practicing at home or with a group, the routine of maintaining a Yoga session once or twice a week can be a valuable relief to the turmoil that your loss has brought. If you’re practicing Yoga for grief with a group, this also adds social interaction at a time when socialisation will be very low, and helps you connect with others who are also experiencing periods of grief, for mutual support.

Periods of grief and bereavement are some of the most difficult times that many of us will face, made worse by the stress of funeral planning and organising family. Taking out a budget funeral plan in advance can greatly help, and a low-cost direct cremation removes all the stress of funeral planning, giving you more time to spend with your loved ones.