Q: What does moving forward after a devastating setback mean?
A: Becoming resilient and creating your inspired path.
We all encounter challenges along our path of life. Resilience is finding a way forward after a setback. In any loss (job, relationship, loved one, diagnosis), we enter a new normal. We embark on a new way of seeing things: through the lens of our loss. This can cripple us with fear. It can send us into panic. We can lose hope. However, when we accept that we are exactly where we are meant to be, we allow self compassion to assist us in reclaiming, reestablishing, renewing our lives.
Over time, we are able to process our loss, accept changes, allow our new normal to be. We stop resisting, stop insisting that things be different than they are. We use self compassion to accept where we are, feel the hurt but understand that we are fully capable of experiencing pain without succumbing to a downward spiral of no return. As humans, it is our instinct to seek pleasure and avoid pain, however we are also built for loss. When I think of human history, I am in awe of how much our ancestors endured. When we understand that we do not need to avoid pain, but rather process and accept it, we grow. Time and again I mention to those grieving any loss that when we allow the wave of grief to wash over us, each time we are stronger on the other side of that release. This process enables our forward movement. In time, our loss becomes part of us, not a ‘getting over’ but rather an weaving into the fabric of our lives. We accept that the loss is part of our path we will bear. Our new normal becomes our inspired path, challenging us and bringing new brightness into our lives.
For more information on life transitions and bereavement, feel free to contact me at (518) 301-3593, [email protected].
