You are not alone.
A Way for Hope
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • About
  • Publications
  • Recommended
  • Support

Q&A series: Is it Okay to Feel Happy?

1/24/2020

 
Picture
by Jan McDaniel

Yes! Emotions come to us naturally. We feel how we feel. After great loss, healing moments start almost immediately, but we may only see them later when we look back. Cultivate those bits of light Grief is dark; hope is the way back to life.

It is quite normal to be unsure about such things as laughing with friends or feeling pleasure as the sunshine warms us, but these are not times of disrespect for the ones we lost. These are times of life re-affirming itself, of love reconnecting us with our loved ones in the only way we can now.

It might feel a little strange at first, and talking with a counselor or support group members or friends might help that pass sooner. What has happened has already happened. You are alive and on the journey through the garden of grief. Look for such gifts to renew your strength for the struggles and tears that are like brambles that tear hearts that pass this way. And ask yourself, how would my loved one want me to feel now? Write answers in a journal, and track your progress from day to day.

This is the last in Way for Hope's series of Questions and Answers about surviving deep grief (for now). A baker's dozen. Look for a compilation of these coming this spring on the site, but you don't have to wait. If you missed any of the thirteen, scroll back through the blog posts to read more.

Blessings,
​Jan


Comments are closed.

      Subscribe

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Enya - Only Time 


    From the Garden

    Picture
    A new year brings new healing moments to those who have lost a loved one. This is a good time to start a gratitude journal. Writing down the smallest blessings helps ease the ache of loss.

    Sample Posts by Topic:
    Finding purpose
    ​Helping children grieve
    Formula for healing
    ​
    Healing Meditation
    Tears
    ​Changes
    Understanding
    Acceptance
    ​Books on grief and healing

    Please read my
    Disclaimer


    Links of Value:

    Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors

    National Alliance on Mental Illness

    Peaceful Scriptures

    Word of God

    ​"My Story" Big Daddy Weave 
    o

    "Hope in Front of Me"
    Danny Gokey


    The Joy FM

    Traumatic Loss

    Traumatic loss or preexisting conditions can worsen mental health. Use this info graphic to find help.

    "Take Charge of Your Mental Health" - a free download from www.nami.org:
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.