It’s strange when your mind knows you’re fine, but your body needs more time to catch up. Whether you’re healing from a relationship of any kind: friend, family, romantic, etc. or from the loss of a loved one, we all go through the initial moments of, “this is so painful and sucky”. 

In the beginning, we feel all the raw emotions and tend to go through isolation. Isolation from people or being around people, but isolating/hiding your feelings from yourself and others. Basically, keeping yourself so busy that you don’t have to think about or face your thoughts and feelings. 

At first, it’s a great coping mechanism, but it’s not a forever fix. We need to continue on the journey of healing. You know how they say there are five stages of grief? Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Well, what they don’t mention is that each stage takes a while to get through. They’re the journey that we’re on when healing. 

Acknowledging the stages, acknowledging that feeling better is going to take some time, is absolutely key to not deep diving into isolation, which could cause an array of thoughts we don’t want.

Yes, there will be triggers, there will be moments that randomly pop into your head at the worst times, but it’s how you handle it that matters. Find a healthy coping mechanism, whether that’s crying, excusing yourself to take a moment and do some deep breathing, journaling, vlogging, or just any healthy outlet. 

Coping in healthy and mindful ways helps you to heal in a safer way for sure, but it’s not expected of you 24/7, you’re still human, and a cashout is not only expected, but is valid during any kind of grieving process.

Most importantly, give yourself grace during this time. Be proud of how far you’ve come and remember it’s normal to have triggers and reactions on a regular day, just remember, what our minds know, our bodies take a bit more time to align with the realities. Patience until everything is in agreement again, or as close to alignment as feels normal.

Just be with yourself – it’s a journey.