Losing someone can be very traumatic for anyone. Everyone deals with grief in different ways. While there is no correct way to grieve, there are still methods of healthy healing. When trying to cope with grief, one may feel alone in their sorrow or hopeless in their recovery. One should remember that they are not alone, as thousands of people experience this emotion almost daily. In cases where grief counseling doesn’t suffice, individuals can take on hobbies to help them cope with grief.
Finding the Blockage
A lack of motivation and a feeling of being drained commonly follows the emotion of grief. One must determine whether their lack of passion stems from disinterest or avoidance. It’s okay if one simply isn’t interested in a particular hobby anymore. However, one should also ask themselves if they are actually in avoidance. That specific hobby may be related to something traumatic. So, it’s vital to understand why one feels the way they do to ensure they aren’t creating blockages.
Volunteer
Feeling grief and trying to cope with a loss can be emotionally exhausting. Grief tends to make one focus on the loss instead of the good times shared with the other person. Volunteering is a great hobby to help people focus on things and people in their life that they are grateful for. Helping those in need makes people feel more valued and allows them to focus on their contribution instead of the grief they may be dealing with. There are thousands of volunteer opportunities ranging from working with children to caring for dogs at an animal shelter.
Commit to it Daily
When taking on a hobby to cope with grief, a person should aim to commit daily. Participating in any activity while feeling grief may initially feel forced or pressured. However, those feelings generally subside as one gets familiarized with the hobby. People must give themselves time to sift through their emotions. As stated, those initial feelings may not be disinterest but avoidance.
Blast from the Past
If a person is having trouble finding hobbies to try, then they should visit their past. There may have been a specific activity one enjoyed in their childhood that may still bring them fulfillment. The only way to know for sure is to revisit these activities. This can be painting, cycling, swimming, skipping rope, singing, etc.
Article originally published on MichelleBeltran.org