Feel Your Feelings

Is it important to feel the intensity of grief?

Yes. Yet when I would allow myself to sink into the deep painful experience of grief it seemed to lead to depression… maybe not clinical depression but such a dark void that it was extremely difficult to climb out of. It often lasted weeks.

Then I learned about the practical and magical healing of Ping-Ponging.

It’s quite simple. Allow yourself to feel your feelings/PING, to sit in the discomfort or pain for a specified amount of time. Maybe 10 or 30 minutes, a few hours, or a day; whatever time frame you mindfully choose. Then do something you love/PONG. You might not be totally loving that something like you had in the past, but you are being kind, caring, and gentle with yourself. You will nourish your ability to enjoy.

For me, this experience of consciously allowing myself to feel my grief feelings for a set time and then equally welcoming happiness is one of my most used and well loved ‘tools’ to respond to loss and grief.

Facing the painful feelings - rather than minimizing, avoiding, or pushing them away - invites healing. Healing the pain opens the door to gratitude and ultimately to living a happier life.