We are all ready for a fresh start! Actually, we get to have a fresh start every day. I have noticed this to be especially true for those dealing with loss. And while we may think we are ready, we actually need to take action to make it happen.
Waking up each day after my husband died was always kind of a shock. I would be all ready to cuddle up next to him, then I couldn’t. That still happens some mornings. I had to adjust to this so I wouldn’t stay stuck in that lonely place. I started by realizing that each day was a fresh start, a new opportunity to experience every moment.
Every morning I would journal. I thought about discovering my purpose. What did I want to do? And I explored listing things that would make me happy, bring me joy. I started small by choosing one thing I could do, then I progressed from there. I would choose something like making a list of people I would like to reconnect with. I prioritized my list and started writing an email or text to one person on the list each day. Writing instead of calling helped with the anxiety I had that I might break down if I heard their voices. This simple practice started bringing me much needed human connection. Most people wrote back, and hearing from them felt so good. The more I wrote these notes, the better I felt, and the longer the list got!
Reaching out was a small step, and doing it boosted my mood and opened my curiosity as to what to do next. I realized that I was in control of my ability to move forward, to discover what I wanted or needed out of each moment. If something didn’t turn out the way I imagined it would, I saw that in the next moment, I could try something different. I didn’t put pressure on myself, and I was grateful for my new experiences.
When 2021 came, I knew this was a big fresh start, yet the start of the year was a little rocky. So now I am declaring for myself that today, 1 20 21 is my new fresh start. I am making a list of things to focus on and to experience. At the top of that list is staying positive. I will smile as I go about my day and always actively practice gratitude. I encourage you to recognize your fresh start too! What will you focus on?
This week is the fresh start for my new book, Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief which launches this week. This book is a demonstration of a huge fresh start for me after Ron died. I started writing a little big each day, and that led to this beautiful book that I know will bring comfort and help to all who read it.
If you would like to attend the book launch for Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief, please email me at emily@lovingandlivingyourwaythroughgrief.com and I will send you a Zoom link.
You can preorder the book by clicking here at Amazon.
I would be happy to put you on the reminder list for or Writing Together Through Grief occurring on Saturdays each week by sending an email to me to emily@lovingandlivingyourwaythroughgrief.com and giving me your email address.
