Living After Grief by Davina Herbert

Grief is a part of life – people and events come and go in our lives. There are many different types of grief. As humans we experience grief when a loved one dies; when we lose a job; separate/ divorce; age; and the list goes on. We can’t do anything about the fact that most of us will experience grief. What we can do something about is how we deal/ manage grief when it occurs. I have studied many different healing modalities and the tools and techniques that I have learnt from these modalities help me when I experience grief. I have listed below 5 tips to help you deal with grief and start living again.

Allow yourself to feel. I lost a beloved family member a few weeks ago when my mare, Ms. Dolly died. We had been together for around 15 years. In these fast-paced times, that is a long time to be in a relationship with anyone. Dolly was in her mid-twenties when she crossed the rainbow bridge. So, she was not a young mare. To me, however, she looked as youthful and beautiful the day she died, as the day I first met her. The fact that Dolly was not young, or human did not make her death any easier to deal with. I allowed myself the space to cry and feel the grief and sorrow that she was no longer with me. My point of view was that to deny my tears and the grief would be to belittle Doll.
Be gentle with yourself. I took some time off after Doll’s death so that I didn’t overload my emotions. I also spent lots of time outside and with the dogs, as that was what was comforting and nurturing for me.
Allow family and friends to support you. Even if they are also experiencing grief at the loss of the loved one, their grief will be different to yours. Ask for help when you need it. Your friends and family can’t help if they don’t know what is going on for you.
Spirit never dies, it only changes form. I have felt Ms. Doll’s presence very clearly since she died. She is as sassy as she was when she was alive. It’s such a comfort to me knowing that she is still part of my life. I can’t pat her or hug her, which is something that I wish I could still do. However, it would be so much harder to deal with her passing if I didn’t still feel her presence in my life. Plus, I still have so many rich memories of our time together.
Use healing modalities. There are many different healing modalities out there. Sometimes it helps to go to a professional to get help to work through your grief. When you make the appointment, you are putting yourself first. The therapist will then hold ‘space’ for you to nurture and heal.

At Pet Energy Therapy, we help both humans and animals work through their grief. If you are experiencing grief and would like some help, contact us to make an appointment via email davina@thepetenergytherapy.com or send a message to 0438 598 995.