Rising Out of Grief and Into Gratitude
3 Steps to Manage Your Grief Towards a Brighter Future.
Grief is a superpower. This needs to be said. I’ll say it again, grief is a superpower. The power of grief is overwhelmingly mighty. In that grief is a personal experience meaning everyone grieves differently, grief is also universal. Think about it, how many tragedies have occurred in which the entire world has grieved together? How is it possible that grief can bring you closer to people you have never met, do not know, and may not even speak the same language? The answer? Grief is a superpower. Grief transcends race, culture, and socioeconomic status. Through this transcendence, grief holds the superpower of bonding people, families, and communities. Yet, with the same might, and adversely, grief can also destroy them. Grief is indeed a superpower!
The sooner we acknowledge and accept the power grief holds on us, the better we can rise out of it. Let’s face it, grief is a formidable foe and we can not fight this superpower alone. We would be remiss if we first do not state that as humans, our strength is limited. The scripture that readily comes to mind is 1Peter 5:6-11. In part verse 10 says, “He will make you strong.” Verse 11 goes on to say, “To Him be the glory and might forever, Amen.” In other words, in that we acknowledge the strength of grief, we must also acknowledge that to rise out of it, can not be done alone. Yet since we do have backing, there are things we can do to rise out of grief and into gratitude. Let’s consider the things we can humanly do to rise.
3 Steps to Rise From Grief and Into Gratitude
- Acknowledgment will always remain first in all journeys of life. Here is no different. Acknowledge the magnitude grief may hold in preventing happiness from abounding in your life. Acknowledge you have lost an important part of your life and for the moment life feels and seems bleak. Acknowledge that in spite of being alive, you question if you even want to be. Acknowledge that there is nothing wrong with you if others seem to have gotten over it and you are still stuck. And if you haven’t already, acknowledge the fact that you are grieving. For how can you rise from the mire, if at first, you do not recognize you are in it?
- Acceptance is not the same as acknowledgment and should not be used interchangeably. Just because you acknowledge something doesn’t mean you accept it. So acceptance is key as the second step to rise from and out of grief. Let’s accept the fact that things will never go back to normal. Let’s accept the fact that without your loved one, your life is forever changed. Let’s accept the fact that in spite of this tragedy, you must find a way to continue on. Accepting these minor things will greatly impact your major opportunity to rise into gratitude. The butterfly will never return to being a caterpillar, therefore it begins life anew. As such, your life will never be the same with the loss of your loved one. Regrettably, it’s time to begin life anew.
- Adaptability is going to be your new best friend. As such, embrace it. This is the step that has the daunting task of catapulting you into gratitude. The reason adaptability will become your new friend is because it is the conduit that will allow you to make the necessary adjustments to rise into gratitude. Being able to shift mindsets and see things from alternative perspectives will only occur if you are agreeable to adaptability. When it is time to begin creating a new way of life, adaptability will be the reason you will achieve change. For if you do not learn to adapt, you will forever struggle with fitting a square peg into a triangular cavity. It will never fit leaving you drained, exhausted, and hopeless. Adaptability keeps us hopeful towards the ascension to gratitude.
During the grieving process, it is important to not self-isolate. Always seek support by way of friends, family, spiritual advisor, or a professional therapist.
About Dr. Portia Lockett:
Everyone has a purpose, but not everyone knows their purpose early in life. At the age of seven, Dr. Portia Lockett was clear on her calling: teaching and encouraging others, which later evolved into her being a schoolteacher that inspired students to be their best regardless of their path. Eventually, she transitioned into speaking and training for major corporations and nonprofits which included but was not limited to UAW GM, Chrysler, and Goodwill Industries. Later becoming a licensed and ordained Chaplain allowed her to support and encourage individuals from the womb to the tomb. Eventually being led into the world of being a missionary allowed her to travel and support the underserved in Japan, Barbados, Mexico, Bahamas, Canada, Kenya, and Jamaica. Like most of us, Dr. Portia has experienced a few traumatic episodes in her life, but through grace, the favor of God, and self-determination, she pulled herself up and kept it moving forward each time. Lockett has received several awards and her most recent include the City of Detroit Spirit Award, Michigan Chronicles Women of Excellence, and the Career Mastered Winning Spirit Award, and The Power of One award. Lockett is the co-author of Anointed Moments meditational CD and an Amazon # 1 seller Delayed But Not Denied 2, featured lyric writer and psalmist of Happy Birthday Jesus. She’s been featured on CNN, National Geographic, BET, The Michigan Chronicle, The Detroit News, and Radio One. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
