maintaining a healthy mental and physical balance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cI think it is really important to pause and reflect. If we begin to understand, what is happening to us then we can start to ask ourselves \u2013 what do I need,\u201d Lee said. \u201cFor everyone that is going to be different.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said for some, it may help to reach out to other loved ones or a trusted person. For others, it may be exercise, rest, a hobby, or even a cup of tea.\u00a0These are all things that can be added to one\u2019s mental health first aid kit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter someone pauses and reflects, we have to develop a mental health first aid kit,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThese are self-care tools that help us in times of stress.\u00a0So we grab the kit, and it reminds us of the things that can help center us \u2013 to bring us back into balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the event that the loved one passes, being able to process that loss may look different in today\u2019s world versus yesterday\u2019s. Funerals and memorial services are now limited, and many have gone virtual, all of which can change the grieving process.<\/p>\n
She said it is normal to desire traditional ceremonies, but because of social distancing, people may have to think unconventionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is important to honor our cultural beliefs, and with social distancing, we might have to figure out creative ways to do that, Lee said. \u201cSince we are all hardwired to connect, we have to figure out a way to stay connected through this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee said often times it is not the initial grief that can be hard to process, but rather the grief that comes after the dust settles.<\/p>\n
She said this is a time when we really need to wrap around people who are grieving and simply say, \u201cI do not know what to say other than I am here.\u201d\u00a0She suggests sending them a note in the mail, a recording, or even a song might just to let that person know they are not alone.<\/p>\n
For those experiencing unresolved grief due to the inability to hold traditional services or even be with a loved one when they pass, Lee said, \u201cYes, it is more challenging now that we cannot embrace or hold each other \u2013 we have to acknowledge that change.\u00a0We have to know that things are different and that we cannot just minimize or look past things because we may feel differently about it.”<\/p>\n
She said unresolved grief can manifest in other ways and can create a sense of captivity in one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that any unresolved grief, whether it is because we cannot do something traditional or we are denying our feelings, can get us stuck,\u201d Lee said.\u00a0\u201cSometimes we stay occupied to forget, or we pull down pictures and move on quickly.\u00a0We deny our thoughts, feelings, and body sensations.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that she believes our body and mind have a way of reminding us of what we are denying, and that reminder may show up through impulsive acts, poor sleep, and even body aches and pains.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really am a big believer in pausing and reflecting,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIf we do not acknowledge what we are thinking and feeling, then we do not allow the natural progression of grief to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Perhaps, C.S. Lewis said it best, \u201cNo one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.\u201d It is only human nature that with any change, fear is our first…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-6621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6621"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8467,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6621\/revisions\/8467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6621"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forallseasonsinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=6621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}