There are several suggested New Year’s resolutions for the grieving. This one is from Hospice of the Red River Valley:
- I resolve to not place time limits on my grief; it will take as long as it takes.
- I resolve to acknowledge my grief as my own—that it is as individual as I am—and will take shape in its own unique way.
- I resolve to be mindful of the need for flexibility when it comes to the expectations of others (and myself).
- I resolve to not be pressured by “shoulds.”
- I resolve to cut myself some slack when I am not as productive as I might like, behave in ways uncharacteristic of my usual self or simply “don’t care.”
- I resolve to accept that others may not understand my pain, and it is probably not realistic to expect that of them. (Until one has walked the path, how can one know the terrain?)
- I resolve to express my feelings without guilt, and not apologize for tears.
- I resolve to be grateful for concerned others who willingly just listen.
- I resolve to recognize that my acceptance of assistance and support of others allows them the blessing of giving.
- I resolve to forgive those who say or do that which feels hurtful, recognizing that unkindness is not intended.
- I resolve to extend to myself the same grace and patience I would to others, were they in my situation.
- I resolve to find some little way each day to begin to reinvest in life, in an effort to move toward hope and a sense of purpose.
- I resolve to continue to speak my loved one’s name, tell our stories and embrace my memories.
A printable form of this is available by clicking THIS LINK.
Another excellent collection of resolutions is available at the great website WhatsYourGrief.com. To see it, CLICK HERE
Editor’s Note: for more posts about grieving during the holidays, Click this link:
https://blog.aftertalk.com/?s=holiday+grieving
Every Wednesday we will be publishing Pandemic Weekly for, we hope, not too long. We invite you to submit your thoughts, essays, poems or songs. Please send to info@aftertalk.com.
