If it’s in the collective, it controls you
This Monday morning feels especially solemn. I can’t stop thinking about the tragic and absolutely unfathomable loss of life that happened in our neighbouring province of Nova Scotia over the weekend. As details of the event are released, the weight of it gets heavier. I’m holding space for the victims and their families this morning.
Grief is a process. We’re all grieving the loss of something right now; loss of physical touch, loss of connection, loss of freedom, loss of time (it feels like we have less time now than ever, which is — for me anyway — unexpected). How we handle that grief, and allow it space to exist, is what determines how we are able to move through it.
Doesn’t it seem like some people are breezing through this isolation period, being (or becoming) the best version of themselves, while others are struggling with exhaustion, cluttered homes and cluttered minds, sadness and a feeling of loss?
The truth is, while we’re all going through the same thing, our circumstances and our mindset going into this period of our lives are all different. Neither is wrong and chances are, those that look like they’re breezing by, are just managing their grief differently than those who seem to be stuck in that dark space.
What we consume and allow into our collective controls us. The constant scrolling on social media, news releases on as background noise…what we consume feeds our emotional state and if all we’re consuming is the grief, then our emotions will follow suit. Not our identities, but our emotions. And we do have control over this.
Writing this blog is an outlet I use to work through my emotions, and with the families of the victims in Portipique on my mind, it’s my way of honouring the grief I’m feeling while not feeding it with consummation of news story after news story.
So starting today, a new week of our new normal, consider this: Hold space for your grief. Give it the time and grace that it needs. Do it with intention. And then give yourself the gift of setting it down. Turn off the phone, the news, stop the scroll. Start with an hour of intentional time. Choose to be happy even when you don’t feel like it. Take control over your collective.
If what we’re consuming feeds our emotions, consume something good today. You will literally be happy you did.
xo Karen
