Overcoming Unhealthy Grieving Habits
When you're grieving, it's all too easy to get stuck in a cycle of toxic habits. You might find yourself crying for hours and then suddenly snapping, or vice versa—you might be so busy going through the motions that you don't have time to let yourself feel anything at all. Grieving is a natural reaction to loss, but it's not always easy to recognize and process. Many people feel a pressure to "just move on" or "stop crying," but grief isn't something you can just turn off with a switch.
It's important to recognize that grief is not a linear process—it doesn't follow any set timeline or path. Some days might be harder than others, and some days may seem easier than you expected them to be. That's normal!
Grief is a beautiful, painful and confusing process that can take a lifetime to navigate. It's important to remember that there is no timeline for grieving. It's also important to remember that you're not alone in your grief journey. There are millions of people who are going through the same thing as you, and many of them are online. Find them—it will help!
But what about the times when it feels like no one understands or cares? Here are some toxic grieving habits that can make you feel even more alone:
Toxic Grieving Habit: Trying to distract yourself from your grief by doing things that don't bring you joy (like watching TV).
Toxic Grieving Habit: Pretending like nothing happened because it makes people uncomfortable when they try to talk about it with you (or because they don't know what else to say).
Toxic Grieving Habit: Blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault.
It's important to remember that these are unhealthy grieving habits, and they don't have to last forever. You may question why you are doing things so out of character. The reality is that the human body is good at keeping secrets. Sometimes you will not understand what you are feeling. The good thing is that the human body does know when it needs help. When you're ready, here are some ways to take care of yourself:
Cry when you need to cry; don't judge yourself for it or try to stifle your feelings because they make other people uncomfortable. Crying is a healthy way of releasing stress and grief, so let yourself do it!
Be kind to yourself by practicing gratitude every day. Take some time each morning and night to think about something that makes you happy or grateful for another person in your life (or even your favorite animal!). This will help build up your mental resilience against negative thoughts and feelings that can lead down the road toward self-destructive behaviors like alcohol abuse or drug addiction.
Don't let others tell you how they think you should be grieving or when they think you've grieved.
Take breaks from social media so that it doesn't become overwhelming.
