Combating Rumination Picking up a new hobby is also a great way to help move out of rumination and into a state of flow. Find something you enjoy and dive into it. If you don’t find any of your existing hobbies particularly interesting, try something new—baking, photography, drawing, writing, and reading are all great ways to help bring your focus into the moment and out of negative thoughts.
Practicing grounding exercises can help reduce stress and move your focus out of metaphorical storm clouds and into the moment. Focusing on your breathing, stretching, or movement are all great ways to ground yourself.
Connect with your social circles, even if it’s through email. Reach out to people you care about and check in with them. Sharing experiences and thoughts is a great way to process them.
Focus on things within your control. This includes: how you care for yourself, how you spend your time, what thoughts you give energy to, and how you treat others.
Establish a routine, make sure to schedule something enjoyable on weekends, and build in different routines for different days and weeks. Consider marking the start of each week with your favorite dinner. Or differentiate the start of the month with a movie night.
Get in Touch
I would love to discuss grief with other people, as everyone's journey has its own unique challenges and beauty. If you would like to share your story, get in touch with me at gettinggrief@gmail.com. You can also join the Getting Grief community on Locals.com here: https://gettinggrief.locals.com/.
Sources 1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tales-grief/202009/why-2020-is-the-year-grief-anger-and-reassessment 2. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200731/Research-suggests-New-York-City-may-have-reached-coronavirus-herd-immunity-threshold.aspx 3. https://www.vox.com/2020/5/7/21248259/why-time-feels-so-weird-right-now-quarantine-coronavirus-pandemic
Resources * https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2020/09/04/coronavirus-grief-coping-with-the-loss-of-routine-during-the-pandemic.html * https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief * https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/covid-grief-leadership/2020/09/16/51210be4-f444-11ea-bc45-e5d48ab44b9f_story.html
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gettinggrief/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gettinggrief/support