As the weather grows warmer, many turn their thoughts towards summer plans. This season can be especially challenging for individuals and families as they come to terms with the changes in their routines and activities following the death of a loved one.
Summer brings more daylight hours, invitations to social outings and days packed with various duties. This can be a time to lean into healthy ways to take care of physical aspects of grief. For example, it’s often difficult to find the motivation to take a hike in colder months but a beautiful summer day can encourage time in nature. Exposure to fresh air and sunlight have been proven to boost mood and regulate body functions.
Most individuals identify grief as an emotional process, looking over the holistic way in which it impacts the person. Physical effects of grief are just one of a myriad of ways grievers’ lives can be changed. Gastrointestinal issues, hair loss, and lack of energy are examples of how grief can affect the body. Some dually work through grief’s influence on body and mind, like anxiety causing panic attacks. It’s always a good time to speak with your physician if you are noticing changes in your body that may be related to grief.
In grief, preserving and being mindful of how your physical energy is spent is a key to feeling that you have the bandwidth for other aspects of your life. Take time to practice good sleep hygiene daily and give your brain and body time to recover from hustle and bustle. Making concrete plans to find rest throughout the day and periods of rest throughout the year can be a much-needed restoration for the body. Drinking water and eating nutritious foods are parts of supplying yourself with the right fuel.
Paying attention to physical signs of grief is just as important as an emotional grief burst. As with emotions, we can often rush to make judgements about physical symptoms, wondering if we are grieving incorrectly. Often, what is needed is to meet your body with compassionate care when you experience that deep ache, muscle tension, migraine, etc. Learning to observe and scan your body can prompt a pause and help you respond gently to its needs.
As the remainder of the year brings opportunities to complete tasks and work on unfinished goals, take a moment to check-in with your body and perhaps renew healthy objectives set at the start of the year. It’s never too late to get resting if tired, get moving if stationary or get mindful if you’ve never focused on the physical impact of grief.
Rashida Sanchez, MA, LMSW, FT