Sometimes when navigating difficult emotions, which can be experienced as grief, our first instinct may be to suppress them, push them down, and avoid them, especially because they can be very uncomfortable. We may be able to continue to do this for a period of time, but eventually as pressure behind these intense emotions and experiences builds, we may reach our limit and feel completely overwhelmed. An analogy is similar to what happens when you try to push a beach ball down into the water. You can try to push it further into the water, and for longer, but eventually as pressure builds, it may pop up and hit you right in the face! Of course we want to avoid this, and the analogy may seem like a stretch, but we hope it illustrates what can happen when we push things down for too long. Sooner or later feelings may hit us unexpectedly in very uncomfortable ways. Making room for grief, as difficult as it may seem, ideally helps release pressure around the figurative beach ball, so when it comes up, it has less momentum! The goal is to release this pressure regularly, as we make room for what comes up for us, in non-judgmental and kind ways. Offering ourselves compassion, space, and tenderness as we navigate difficult emotions. We have listed a few reasons below that break down why making room for your grief and grieving is so important!

1.) Offering yourself the room you need to grieve, in non-judgmental and compassionate ways, can be healing.

2.) Offering yourself the space you need to grieve can relieve a build-up of pressure and emotional distress, that may otherwise be released in unhealthy ways, potentially causing more stress which could lead to more frequent or severe flare-ups (stress is one of the most common flare-up triggers for individuals in our community).

3.) Offering yourself space to grieve can give you the time you need to process emotions that are coming up for you, as opposed to pushing them to the side or suppressing them.

4.) Offering yourself space to grieve can prevent the grief from building, and becoming overwhelming, leading to less emotional turmoil and stress on your mind and body.

5.) Offering yourself the space you need to grieve may be beneficial for your mental health, which in turn may help you feel more fulfilled, and help you maintain a healthier relationship with yourself and with others.

6.) Offering yourself the space you need to grieve may provide you with more insight into what you need emotionally and physically, allowing for personal growth and positive change.

7.) Offering yourself the space you need to grieve may give you added insight into your needs, your values, what motivates you, what fulfills you, and what inspires you.

8.) Offering yourself the space you need to grieve may provide you with the opportunity to prioritize your needs before the needs of others, as we aren’t able to fully be present for others if we can’t first be fully present and available for ourselves. Remember to put on your own oxygen mask before someone else’s oxygen mask!

9.) Offering yourself the space you need to grieve may allow you to grow with your grief in time, and view it in a more compassionate way. As opposed to feeling consuming or heavy, the weight of your grief may feel much more manageable.