Motivational Monday: Moving Past Grief

It has been a hard few days since the loss of my childhood friend and loyal dog, Hamish. I'd had him for so long, for over two thirds of my life I think, and I had just started to hope and almost believe he was invincible.

It's important to remember all the good times. It's also really important to grieve, to have your feelings and just let them sit out to air in the open. Often when you tell people about a loss they instantly want to rob you of your feelings.

"Well look on the bright side..."
"Think of all the good times, don't dwell on the bad"
"What can I do to make you feel better?"

That's the thing. I don't want to feel better. There's something about grief, in it's very nature, that requires acknowledgement. I need to feel and I need to respect my feelings. I need time to process what's happening around me and if that means spending some time on my own or just feeling sad then that is what I need to do.  This isn't the most obviously motivational post but I suppose the overall message is that if you're going through something tough then just feel your feelings and don't be afraid to feel. Take the time you need to process what's going on in a way that is best for you. Check in with yourself and make sure you're doing whatever is best for your own emotional needs.

If you have a dog, go give them a big hug for me, okay?