Balancing grief and hope can support us in recovering from loss and difficult times. Grief has touched some of our lives through death of loved ones by natural causes, illness of loved ones, accidental death of loved ones, suicide of loved ones, loss of loved ones in war, or loss of beloved relationships.
For others, loss and grief touches our lives through awareness of the current critical condition of our planet due to climate change, rampant civilian gun violence in the United States, International conflict and violence, issues of food safety, escalating threats of war, or social injustice concerns related to race or religion.
Each of us is a part of the worldwide community of loss and grief. Mindfulness teaches us how to turn toward our pain without being so overwhelmed. It teaches us to balance turning toward the pain with cultivating wholesome mental states and savoring good experiences. In this way, we remain balanced, tend to grief and hope, and embrace a sense of wellbeing and resilience.
When we turn away from our sorrow, we intensify our pain and close off parts of ourselves. –Stephen Levine
I am often asked how we can stay present and aware of the difficult situations and events in our world without feeling hopeless. I believe that the answer lies in learning skills that allow us to turn toward the difficulties in the world rather than turning away and then learning to cultivate hope. Mindfulness practice teaches us the skill for turning toward difficult events and offers meditation practices for cultivating joy and hope. And simply the act of practicing meditation cultivates hope in our capacity to transform our internal and external experience, trust in our shared humanity, trust in ourselves, trust in something greater than ourselves and trust that we will all be ok no matter what.
Make room for the sorrow, and treat it with the tenderness with which you would treat your only child. For each moment that you spend grieving, try to spend an equal amount of time savoring simple joys — the taste of a cup of tea or coffee, the feel of warm water on your face in the shower, appreciating a clear blue sky or rain clouds. For every moment that you make room for the sorrow, make an equal amount of time to cultivate joy and hope.In this way, we embrace grief and hope in our recovery from loss.
Warmly,
Jen