Pain

[Tamikanji Nambela]

How do I overcome pain 

[KayC]

I hope you'll continue to come here to read/post...if you could tell us a little of your story...

Grief Process

This is not a one-size-fits-all, what strikes us one day will be different a few months/years from now, so please save/print this for reference!

I want to share an article I wrote of the things I've found helpful over the years, in the hopes something will be of help to you either now or on down the road.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH GRIEF

There's no way to sum up how to go on in a simple easy answer, but I encourage you to read the other threads here, little by little you will learn how to make your way through this.  I do want to give you some pointers though, of some things I've learned on my journey.

• Take one day at a time.  The Bible says each day has enough trouble of its own, I've found that to be true, so don't bite off more than you can chew.  It can be challenging enough just to tackle today.  I tell myself, I only have to get through today.  Then I get up tomorrow and do it all over again.  To think about the "rest of my life" invites anxiety.
• Don't be afraid, grief may not end but it evolves.  The intensity lessens eventually.
• Visit your doctor.  Tell them about your loss, any troubles sleeping, suicidal thoughts, anxiety attacks.  They need to know these things in order to help you through it...this is all part of grief.
• Suicidal thoughts are common in early grief.  If they're reoccurring, call a suicide hotline.  I felt that way early on, but then realized it wasn't that I wanted to die so much as I didn't want to go through what I'd have to face if I lived.  Back to taking a day at a time.  Suicide Hotline - Call 1-800-273-8255 or www.crisis textline.org or US and Canada: text 741741 UK: text 85258 | Ireland: text 50808
• Give yourself permission to smile.  It is not our grief that binds us to them, but our love, and that continues still.
• Try not to isolate too much.  
• There's a balance to reach between taking time to process our grief, and avoiding it...it's good to find that balance for yourself.  We can't keep so busy as to avoid our grief, it has a way of haunting us, finding us, and demanding we pay attention to it!  Some people set aside time every day to grieve.  I didn't have to, it searched and found me!
• Self-care is extremely important, more so than ever.  That person that would have cared for you is gone, now you're it...learn to be your own best friend, your own advocate, practice self-care.  You'll need it more than ever.
• Recognize that your doctor isn't trained in grief, find a professional grief counselor that is.  We need help finding ourselves through this maze of grief, knowing where to start, etc.  They have not only the knowledge, but the resources.
• In time, consider a grief support group.  If your friends have not been through it themselves, they may not understand what you're going through, it helps to find someone somewhere who DOES "get it". 
• Be patient, give yourself time.  There's no hurry or timetable about cleaning out belongings, etc.  They can wait, you can take a year, ten years, or never deal with it.  It's okay, it's what YOU are comfortable with that matters.  
• Know that what we are comfortable with may change from time to time.  That first couple of years I put his pictures up, took them down, up, down, depending on whether it made me feel better or worse.  Finally, they were up to stay.
• Consider a pet.  Not everyone is a pet fan, but I've found that my dog helps immensely.  It's someone to love, someone to come home to, someone happy to see me, someone that gives me a purpose...I have to come home and feed him.  Besides, they're known to relieve stress.  Well maybe not in the puppy stage when they're chewing up everything, but there's older ones to adopt if you don't relish that stage.
• Make yourself get out now and then.  You may not feel interest in anything, things that interested you before seem to feel flat now.  That's normal.  Push yourself out of your comfort zone just a wee bit now and then.  Eating out alone, going to a movie alone or church alone, all of these things are hard to do at first.  You may feel you flunked at it, cried throughout, that's okay, you did it, you tried, and eventually you get a little better at it.  If I waited until I had someone to do things with I'd be stuck at home a lot.
• Keep coming here.  We've been through it and we're all going through this together.
• Look for joy in every day.  It will be hard to find at first, but in practicing this, it will change your focus so you can embrace what IS rather than merely focusing on what ISN'T.  It teaches you to live in the present and appreciate fully.  You have lost your big joy in life, and all other small joys may seem insignificant in comparison, but rather than compare what used to be to what is, learn the ability to appreciate each and every small thing that comes your way...a rainbow, a phone call from a friend, unexpected money, a stranger smiling at you, whatever the small joy, embrace it.  It's an art that takes practice and is life changing if you continue it.
• Eventually consider volunteering.  It helps us when we're outward focused, it's a win/win.

(((hugs)))  Praying for you today.

 

[Edwin-s]

On 9/8/2022 at 10:03 AM, Tamikanji Nambela said:

How do I overcome pain 

Struggling with the very same question, and not coping at all....
😢

[Ronni_W]

Dear Tamikanji Nambela and Edwin-s,

From my own experience...it is a very big ask to ask of your own self, (of my own self), to ask to "overcome" the pain that we feel after suffering any type of loss. (It doesn't have to be the loss of another person, it can be the loss of...anything that contributed to, or helped us to have, a personal 'sense of autonomous, self-determining self' on Earth.)

 

For me: How do I cope with my pain? How can I handle my pain? How can I live with my pain? (and still, at the same time, lead some kind of 'meaningful' or 'purposeful' or 'useful' life on Earth?)

 

Not that I have too many constructive answers for myself...yet. But at least I feel that I'm having a more reasonable and realistic expectation, about all of this pain (traumatic pain) that I'm carrying / experiencing / suffering / having to endure.  To want to "overcome" it -- as if it is not there (is how I interpret the 'ask') -- for my own self, is just not a reasonable nor realistic 'ask'.

 

Lots of love, hugs and strength to you both.     Ronni

 

[Brazil Man]

I think I will never overcome may pain. After more than 4 years grieving all I could do was to get used to my pain and turn it more bearable.

[Edwin-s]

1 hour ago, Brazil Man said:

I think I will never overcome may pain. After more than 4 years grieving all I could do was to get used to my pain and turn it more bearable.

I think I know what you mean.
It's too early for me to say I do, but I have the feeling it will be my path...........

I feel for you my brother.😢

[Brazil Man]

13 minutes ago, Edwin-s said:

I feel for you my brother.😢

Thank you my brother. I feel for you too. May God have mercy and help us.

[Edwin-s]

4 minutes ago, Brazil Man said:

Thank you my brother. I feel for you too. May God have mercy and help us.

I try to do what I must do in honour of her. It's what keeps me going ..............Take care of yourself brother!
If you feel like talking, You can always pop in and drop me a PM 

[Brazil Man]

17 minutes ago, Edwin-s said:

You can always pop in and drop me a PM

I don't know how to do it. Could you show me ?

[Edwin-s]

16 minutes ago, Brazil Man said:

I don't know how to do it. Could you show me ?

Check this screencast 
https://www.awesomescreenshot.com/video/11091332

 

[Brazil Man]

35 minutes ago, Edwin-s said:

Check this screencast 
https://www.awesomescreenshot.com/video/11091332

The link does not work. I would like anybody else could check the link to make sure it's not a problem in my computer.
Tomorrow I will be back. Thank you.

[Edwin-s]

39 minutes ago, Brazil Man said:

The link does not work. I would like anybody else could check the link to make sure it's not a problem in my computer.
Tomorrow I will be back. Thank you.

Sorry 
My mistake !
This should be the correct link: https://www.awesomescreenshot.com/video/11091332?key=fc76229e1c9e4003e50523a5a7f94c0f

Let me know if it works now? 

Cheers

Ed

 

[KayC]

20 hours ago, Brazil Man said:

After more than 4 years grieving all I could do was to get used to my pain and turn it more bearable.

I totally get that...I remember learning to carry my pain.  Never did I go back to predeath times when I was happy (which depends on circumstances) but I did learn to look for small joys and focus on them, that helped.

 

19 hours ago, Edwin-s said:

I think I know what you mean.

Every time I see your profile picture with her in it, I am blown by how young and sweet she looks...and I don't get how death claimed her.    I am so sorry, I know your grief is immense.