Category: Griefsupport

Healing Grief Takes Courage

1/7/2020

I hope you're doing well and your time (mostly) spent at home during the pandemic is a good one. I still find it sometimes tricky that I can't move as freely as before. However, I'm always happy to spend the summers at home in Nova Scotia. Glad to see that more places can open up.

It has been a while since I wrote here. Do you also feel like the pandemic time is a weird one? Time either seems to stand still, or days rush by you?

In April, I released my short-read ebook 'From Grieving to Grateful: How to Heal a Broken Heart'. Thanks to terrific reviews, it became a bestseller on Amazon Canada for three days. (hahaha)
Always fun to see those sales metrics at work. And yes, I admit that it did feel good. (smile)
Following that, I had so many ideas about how I could help more women.

I'm working towards a new offering for grieving women. I want to reach and help more on their healing journey and create a supportive community at the same time.

Just keeping you in suspense for now, but in about two to three weeks, I'm ready to talk about it more and let you in on the secret. (smile) Stay tuned.

We all know that the journey of grief is never a linear one. You and I, we have our up and downs. Some days we breathe in joy, and some days we are just deeply sad and miss our loved one so much that our heart feels like someone is squeezing it.

Be assured that I'm not here to tell you how to grief or that you shouldn't be sad or cry. Instead, I'm here to help you find your healing journey through this messy and sometimes chaotic feeling of grief.

I leave you today with a quote from a young woman that I admire deeply.

"We were scared, but our fear was not as strong as our courage."
- Malala Yousafzai

You might be scared of your feelings sometimes. I assure you there is courage in you. And you can tease it out with love and compassion towards yourself. A good laugh with a dear friend helps too. (smile)

From my heart to yours, take good care and stay safe,
Jacqueline

PS: Do you have questions? Just press reply, and I'm happy to answer.

Are you interested in my ebook From Grieving to Grateful? Get it on Amazon. (You can download the free Kindle App on Amazon to read it on your mobile devices or desktop).

Jacqueline Steudler, Artist, Art Therapist, Creative Grief Coach, and Lover of Nature's Beauty

Do I Need To Pay Attention To My Resilience?

8/4/2018

Your-Resilience-Grows-With-You-Healing-For-Grieving-Hearts

Resilience has been on my mind lately again.

Psychologically resilience is defined as
an individual’s ability to adapt to stress and adversity.

Some of the factors that make someone resilient are:

a positive attitude
optimism
flexibility in thinking
the ability to regulate emotions
the ability to see failure as a form of helpful feedback
a believe in oneself
to take responsibility for one’s life
seek good relationships
acceptance of self, others, and life

Even after misfortune, resilient people are blessed with such an outlook that they are able to change course and carry on.

This does not mean that you just have to think positively and everything will fall into place.
Resilience is much more than that.

After a tragedy, like an illness that changes a career one might be very realistic and deal with the new situation by adjusting her possibilities.

Another person might go on and pursue a dream they didn’t think was worth taking seriously before the tragic event.

A third will find new meaning because they believe that there is a better future.

Resilient people don’t walk between the raindrops; they have scars to show for their experience. They struggle — but keep functioning anyway. Resilience is not the ability to escape unharmed.
Quote by Hara Estroff Marano

And the following quote in regards to grief sums it up quite well.

If one has always met life’s problems with strength and assurance, it is reasonable to assume that he [she] will meet this experience the same way. One who has been easily distressed by circumstances may be so disturbed by the encounter with death that he [she] will need guidance and special help.
- Edgar N. Jackson

We forme resilience over a lifetime.

In reality we have considerable capacity for strength, although we might not always be aware of it. Feelings of loss and grief can overshadow our ability of resilience.

That is where a helping hand of a friend or a therapist comes in. She will remind you of your resilience, your strength and your abilities. He will help you overcome the sadness that overshadows them.

Sometimes you need others to show you your strength that you have built over a life time.

Take good care,
Jacqueline

Allow yourself to heal. What does that mean when grieving?

20/12/2017

Allow yourself to heal. -HealingForGrievingHearts.com

Allow yourself to heal

What do I mean by that?

When we are hurting lots of us have the tendency to hide inside ourselves.
We want to deal with all our feelings by ourselves. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t.

When you are grieving the loss of a loved one you might want to rethink how to cope with your feelings and pain.

Allowing yourself to heal means to create space that will help you heal.

That space can be nature.
It can be a corner in your home where you light a candle for your loved one.
It can be a get together with a good friend that doesn’t judge you for what you are feeling.
It can be a celebration of your loved one's life where memories are shared.

Allowing yourself to heal means to become active in your healing process.

It means to step out or your own inside turmoil and transform it into a visible dialogue. This can be painting, journaling, rituals, and memory sharing.

The coming holidays might be a first step to try new possibilities. The most important part is to be gentle with yourself. I wrote a post last year about how to prepare for the holidays. You can find it here.

I am wishing you that you will find the space that helps you heal and that you will be surrounded by supportive family members and/or friends.

I am keeping you in my heart,
Jacqueline

The Healing Rituals course will launch on January 19, 2018.

Announcing the Launch of Healing Rituals online course

19/11/2017

Rituals help you to connect to your heart and ease your pain.

Today, I am happy to announce the launch date of the Healing Rituals online course.

Learn to create rituals that help you cope with your unique grief
and the overwhelming feelings of pain.

The Healing Rituals course will launch on January 19, 2018.

Creating your own personal rituals to remember your loved one allows you to access and work through your grief in a safe and constructive way.

While working with several clients, I realized that I suggest rituals often and how they can help with the chaotic and overwhelming feelings of grief. I am in the process of finalizing an online course that will give you creative ideas how to create rituals that resonate with your heart, honour your loved one, and at the same time support your healing process.

Let me know if I can be of help in any way.

Take good care,
Jacqueline

Rituals for your grieving heart

1/10/2017

Rituals comfort your grieving heart - HealingForGrievingHearts.com

Next weekend, we will celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada. It is a time of harvest, gratitude, and a time of family gatherings. 

Stepping into the upcoming Holidays is not easy when you have lost a loved one. A place at the table will be empty. It will be difficult at moments. Fill this seat with memories, stories of their life, or a gentle minute of reflection. Laughing and crying with others will help your broken heart.

I have talked many times about rituals. The coming Holidays might be easier on you, your family, and friends if you plan something special for these days.

Rituals help to connect and heal. 💜

The following I suggested last year here it is once more:  

Go for a walk together and take some colourful ribbons with you. Chose a tree and hang the ribbons on it.

One ribbon for your love to the person that died.
One ribbon including a wish for yourself or your family/friends.
A third one filled with gratitude for this day together or...

Hang as many ribbons as you wish. Share your thoughts out loud or just hang your ribbons in silence on the tree.

This is also a ritual that you can do by yourself if you feel more comfortable this way.

Another ritual is to ask everyone to bring some candles to the festive table.

Have a big bowl filled with sand in the middle of the table.

Each guest lights a candle and shares a short memory or story of your loved one while adding the candle to the bowl. Don’t force anyone. Some might just want to light the candle in silence.

Tell your friends and family how you want to spend the Holidays. Be open to change your mind at the last minute.

I am wishing you a gentle step into this new season.

If you want to create more rituals and the many ways you can honour your loved one join the Healing Rituals online course.

Click the link to find out more at Healing Rituals.

Take good care,
Jacqueline

PS: Ribbon ritual: If you don’t have any ribbons at home you might be able to find some at a local thrift store. Make sure you use fabric ribbons and not plastic ones. Nature will thank you. (smile)

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Healing Grief Takes Courage

Do I Need To Pay Attention To My Resilience?

Allow yourself to heal. What does that mean when grieving?

Announcing the Launch of Healing Rituals online course

Rituals for your grieving heart

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