Still Mourning.. Any Advice? Free Dating, Singles and Personals

Still Mourning.. Any Advice? Posted: 7/12/2005 1:30:23 PM
well its alot of info, it helped me, You have to Read it and tell me what you think about it O.K. How to Survive the Loss of a Love To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 UNDERSTANDING LOSS I find I lost. If you are experiencing a loss and are in need of emotional first-aid, please Click here. Return and read these introductory pages when you have time. Let's take a moment to view loss in the larger perspective. In nature, loss is an essential element of creation--the rose blossoms, the bud is lost; the plant sprouts, the seed is lost; the day begins, the night is lost. In all cases, loss sets the stage for further creation (or, more accurately, re-creation). So it is in human life. It's hard to look back on any gain in life that does not have a loss attached to it. With this firmly in mind we can examine the various losses in life. (Without this overview it tends to become awfully depressing.) OBVIOUS LOSSES death of a loved one break-up of an affair separation divorce loss of job loss of money robbery rape or other violent crime NOT-SO-OBVIOUS LOSSES moving illness (loss of health) changing teachers, changing schools success (the loss of striving) loss of a cherished ideal loss of a long term goal LOSS RELATED TO AGE childhood dreams puppy love crushes adolescent romances leaving school (dropping out or graduating) leaving home loss of "youth" loss of "beauty" loss of hair or teeth loss of sexual drive (or worse, the drive remains but the ability falters) menopause retirement LIMBO LOSSES (Is it on? Is it off? Is it a gain? Is it a loss?) awaiting medical tests or reports on their outcome a couple on the brink of divorce for the fourteenth time a friend, spouse or relative "missing in action" lovers, after any quarrel a business transaction that may or may not fall through a lawsuit putting your house up for sale Limbo losses often feel like this: My life has fallen down around me before --lots of times, for lots of reasons-- usually other people. And most of the time I was fortunate enough to have a large lump of that life hit me on the head and render me numb to the pain & desolation that followed. And I survived. And I live to love again. But this, this slow erosion from below --or within-- it's me falling down around my life because you're still in that life --but not really. And you're out of that life --but not quite. I do all right alone, and better together, but I do very poorly when semi- together. In solitude I do much, in love I do more, but in doubt I only transfer pain to paper in gigantic Passion Plays complete with miracles and martyrs and crucifixions and resurrections. Come to stay or stay away. This series of passion poems is becoming a heavy cross to bare. The feeling of being "in limbo" is itself a loss. Even if the situation turns out fine (the veteran returns, the lover calls and again professes undying love, etc.), while in doubt that doubt is a loss and should be treated accordingly. Realize that "not knowing" may be the worst torture of all. When in limbo--and your better instincts tell you there's little hope--it's better to end the situation than to let it drag on and on. Call or send in your formal notice of termination and get on with the business of surviving, healing and growing. To give you up. God! What bell of freedom that rings within me. No more waiting for letters phone calls postcards that never came. No more creative energy wasted in letters never mailed. And, after awhile, no more insomnia, no more insanity. Some more happiness, some more life. All it took was giving you up. And that took quite a bit. INEVITABLE LOSSES There are inevitable losses--losses in which death or separation is imminent. When you recognize these in advance, it will help greatly to Discuss your situation with the person who is leaving. If you are the one who is leaving, talk it over with those who are being left. Take part in making the decisions that must be made. Let your wishes be known. OTHER LOSSES Temporary losses (lover on vacation, spouse in the service, son or daughter away at school, a slump in business)--even when we know the outcome will eventually be positive--are losses nonetheless. Even success has built into it certain losses--the loss of a goal to strive for and the changes that are almost certainly part of success. There are also innumerable "mini losses" that tend to add up during the course of a day, week, month or life. An unexpected dent in the car here, an argument with a friend there, and one can find oneself "inexplicably" depressed. Each of these losses--immediate or cumulative, sudden or eventual, obvious or not--creates an emotional wound, an injury to the organism. WHAT LOSS FEELS LIKE Along with the obvious feelings of pain, depression and sadness, there are other reactions to loss, such as feeling helpless, fearful, empty, despairing, pessimistic, irritable, angry, guilty, restless experiencing a loss of concentration, hope, motivation, energy changes in appetite, sleep patterns or sexual drive a tendency to be more fatigued, error-prone and slower in speech and movement Any or all of these are to be expected during and after a loss. It's part of the body's natural healing process. Be with these changes; don't fight them. It's OK. If you haven't had an obvious loss, and yet you relate strongly to a good number of these reactions, you may want to examine the recent past to see if a not-so-obvious loss--or a series of them--has taken place. If so, you might want to follow a few of the suggestions given in this book. Your mind and body are already involved in the healing process. THE STAGES OF RECOVERY Recovering from a loss takes place in three distinct--yet overlapping--stages. They are shock/denial/numbness fear/anger/depression understanding/acceptance/moving on Each stage of recovery is necessary natural a part of the healing process the fear that I would come home one day and find you gone has turned into the pain of the reality. "What will I do if it happens?" I would ask myself. What will I do now that it has? The first stage of recovery is shock/denial/ numbness. We cannot believe or comprehend what has happened to us. The mind denies the loss. Often the first words uttered after hearing of a loss are, "What?" or "Oh, no." We forget that a loss has taken place, and find ourselves stunned each time we remember again. (This is especially true after awakening from sleep.) Meanwhile, the body's natural protection against intense pain--shock and numbness--is activated. morning. we wake & snuggle. afternoon. a phone call, California beckons. evening. the airport, a brutal good(?)bye. night. o my god. o my god. o my god. mourning. again. ________________ I know it was time for us to part, but today? I know I had much pain to go through, but tonight ? The second stage of recovery is fear/anger/ depression. Fear, anger and depression are emotions and reactions most often associated with loss. rain. it rained. I fell. it rained I loved. it rained. I lost. it rained. It loved. I rained. rain. What do I do now that you're gone? Well, when there's nothing else going on, which is quite often, I sit in a corner and I cry until I am too numbed to feel. Paralyzed, motionless for awhile, nothing moving inside or out. Then I think how much I miss you. Then I feel fear pain loneliness desolation. Then I cry until I am too numbed to feel. Interesting pastime. And finally, understanding/acceptance/moving on. We have survived. Our body is well on the way to healing. Our mind accepts that life without what was lost is possible. We move on to a new chapter of our life. the sun will rise in a few minutes. it's been doing it --regularly-- for as long as I can remember. maybe I should pin my hopes on important, but often unnoticed, certainties like that, not on such relatively trivial matters as whether you will ever love me or not I must conquer my loneliness alone. I must be happy with myself or I have nothing to offer. Two halves have little choice but to join, and yes, they do make a whole. but two wholes, when they coincide. . . that is beauty. that is love. We go through the three stages of recovery no matter what we lose. Loss is loss, no matter what the cause. When someone or something we love is taken from us or denied us, that is a loss. The only difference in recovering from one loss or another is the intensity of feeling and the duration of the healing process. The greater our loss, the more intensely we feel each of the stages of recovery the longer it takes to pass from one stage to another With small losses, the three stages of recovery can be moved through in minutes. For large losses, it can take years. The body, mind and emotions have enormous wisdom. They know how to heal themselves, and the amount of time they will need to do it. Give them what they need to heal. Trust in the process of recovery. SURVIVING Thursday: drowning in love Friday: drowning in doubt Saturday: drowning Sunday: God, I can't drag my self to church this morning. Please make a house call. One:You Will Survive You will get better. No doubt about it. The healing process has a beginning, a middle and an end. Keep in mind, at the beginning, that there is an end. It's not that far off. You will heal. Nature is on your side, and nature is a powerful ally. Tell yourself, often, "I am alive. I will survive." You are alive. You will survive. in my sleep I dreamed you called. you said you were moving back with your old lover. you said you thought a phone call would be the cleanest way to handle it, "it" being that we could never see each other again, and that I should understand why. I moved to wake myself and found I wasn't sleeping after all. my life became a nightmare. Two: If You Need It, Get Help at Once If you think you need help, don't hesitate. Get it at once. If you are feeling suicidal--or even think you might be feeling suicidal--call a Suicide Prevention Hotline at once. To find the number, call Directory Assistance and ask for "The Suicide Prevention Hotline." Almost every town has one. (And notice how nice the directory assistance operator suddenly becomes.) (Our thoughts on suicide are on page 68.) You should also seek help at once if you: feel you are "coming apart" are no longer in control are about to take an action you may later regret have a history of emotional disturbance turn to alcohol, drugs or other addictive substances in time of need feel isolated with no one to turn to repeatedly find yourself in loss situations Help can be found in--of all places--the Yellow Pages. Explore the organizations under such listings as "Help Lines." This is not the time to "be brave" and attempt to "go it alone." In fact, it takes great courage to ask for help. I found in you a home. Your departure left me a Shelterless Victim of a Major Disaster. I called the Red Cross, but they refused to send over a nurse. Three: Acknowledge the Loss You may struggle to both believe and disbelieve that this could have happened to you. It has happened. It is real. Recognize that a loss has taken place. You may wonder if you are strong enough to bear such a loss. You are strong enough. You are alive. You will survive. there is nothing to be done. only accept it. . . and hurt. Four: You Are Not Alone Loss is a part of life, of being alive, of being human. Everyone experiences loss. Everyone. Your task is to make the journey from immediate loss to eventual gain as rapidly, smoothly and courageously as possible. Somehow, the camaraderie of mutual suffering eases the pain. You have comrades--almost six billion on this planet alone. Our love affair has crash landed. I am trapped in the rubble of gossamer wings. The Wright brothers would have been proud of our flight, but we live in an age of moon landings and space shuttles. Our flight was pitifully low and painfully brief. Endings make the circumstances of the beginnings regrettable. Five: It's OK to Feel It's OK to feel numb. Expect to be in shock for awhile. This emotional numbness may be frightening. It's OK to feel fear. "Will I make it?" "Will I ever love again?" "Will I ever feel good about anything again?" These are familiar fears that follow a loss. It's OK to feel them, but, to the degree you can, don't believe them. It's OK to feel nothing. There are times when you'll have no feelings of any kind. That's fine. It's OK to feel anything. You may feel grief-stricken, angry, like a failure, exhausted, muddled, lost, beaten, indecisive, relieved, overwhelmed, inferior, melancholy, giddy, silly, loathful, full of self-hatred, envious, suicidal (feeling suicidal is OK; acting upon the feeling is not), disgusted, happy, outraged, in rage or anything else. All feelings are part of the healing process. Let yourself feel. Let yourself heal. Spring: leaves grow. love grows. Summer: love dies. I drive away, tears in my eyes. Bugs commit suicide on my windshield. Autumn: leaves fall. I fall. Winter: I die. I drive away, nothing in my eyes. Snowflakes commit suicide on my windshield. Six: Be with the Pain If you're hurting, admit it. To feel pain after loss is normal natural proof that you are alive a sign that you are able to respond to life's experiences Although you may be frightened by it, be with your pain. Feel it. Lean into it. You will not find it bottomless. It is an important part of the healing process that you be with the pain, experience the desolation, feel the hurt. Don't deny it or cover it or run away from it. Be with it. Hurt for a while. See pain as not hurting, but as healing. you came and made my house our home you left making our home my asylum Seven:You're Great! You are a good, whole, worthwhile human being. You are OK. You are more than OK, you're great. Your self-esteem may have suffered a jolt. Your thoughts may reflect some guilt, worry, condemnation or self-deprecation. These thoughts are just symptoms of the stress you are going through. There is no need to give negative thoughts about yourself the center of your attention. Don't punish yourself with "if only's." ("If only I had [or hadn't] done this [or that], I wouldn't be in this emotional mess.") Disregard any thought that begins "If only" You are much more than the emotional wound you are currently suffering. Don't lose sight of that. Beneath the surface turmoil you are good you are whole you are beautiful just because you are. I am Joy. I am everything. I can do all things but two: 1. forget that I love you. 2. forget that you no longer love me. Eight: Give Yourself Time to Heal The healing process takes time. The greater the loss, the more time it will take to heal. In this age of fast foods and instantly replaceable everything, it's hard to accept that anything takes time. You require time to heal. Give yourself the luxury of that time. You deserve it. Pain is not so heavy a burden in summer. Walks through travelogue scenes prevent a good deal of destruction. And, even though no one is there to warm me, the sun will. But Fall just fell, leaving Winter, and me, with no warmth within to face the cold without. I might just stick to the sidewalk and freeze. Nine: The Healing Process Has Its Progressions and Regressions The process of healing and growth is not the smooth progression many people assume. It's more like a lightning bolt, full of ups and downs, progressions and regressions, dramatic leaps and depressing backslides. Realize this and know that whether you are "better" or "worse" than yesterday--or five minutes ago--the healing process is under way. life is becoming. less livable. with each new person I meet I wonder, is this the day fate has chosen, or is fate what I have chosen to get me through the day? loving is the most creative force in the universe. the memory of loving, the most destructive. Ten: Tomorrow Will Come Life contains many positive experiences. The good is on its way. No doubt about it, tomorrow will come. First, I have to get out of love with you. Second, I have to remember: don't fall until you see the whites of their lies. Eleven: Breathe! Take a breath, deep into your lower abdomen. Breathing is healing. Breathing is life. Exhale fully. Take another slow, deep breath. Use the breath to stretch your abdomen, stomach and chest. Place your hand on your heart, stomach or any other part of your body that seems to be in turmoil. Breathe into that area. Tell yourself "Peace. Be still." "I am alive. I will survive." this longing may shorten my life. Twelve: Get Lots of Rest--Now Rest. Sleep more. Obtain help with ongoing tasks. Arrange your life so that you get lots of rest. Schedule rest into the day. Plan to go to bed earlier and sleep a bit later. Be gentle with yourself. Don't rush about. Your body needs energy for repair. Meditate. Rest your emotions. Don't become "heavily involved" for awhile. Productive work often helps rest the emotions. Do as much of that as is comfortable. Rest is the foundation of health. (there is no poem on this page as the poet decided to take a nap) Thirteen: Stick to Your Schedule OK, enough rest. Get going! Alternating rest with activity brings efficient healing. Rest as much as you need to, but don't become lethargic. Keep active. While your inner world is chaotic, maintain a modified (lightened) schedule in the outer. This gives you a sense of order--also something to hold onto. Although my nature is not to live by day, I cannot tolerate another night like this. So, I will wake up early tomorrow morning and do do do all day long, falling asleep exhausted tomorrow early evening, too tired even for nightmares. Fourteen: Keep Decision-Making to a Minimum Expect your judgment to be clouded. Keep decision-making to a minimum. Postpone major decisions, if possible. Ask friends, family and business associates to make minor decisions for you. Delegate; relegate; rest. Too much change has already taken place--that's why you're hurting. Keep additional changes to a minimum. Plans: Next month: find something new. This month: get over you. This week: get you back. Today: survive. Fifteen: It's OK to Make "Silly" Mistakes You may forget your keys, misplace your wallet, drop a glass or misspell your own name--several times in a row. Absentmindedness, forgetfulness and clumsiness are frequently experienced after a loss. It's a variation on walking into a room to get something, and forgetting what it was you went to get--except that after a loss it's worse, and more frequent. It's OK. Be easy with yourself. You're healing. If you have any reaction to the silliness of your mistakes, let it be one of amusement rather than irritation. How to Survive the Loss of a Love Sixteen: It's OK to Go through the Motions in Slow Motion You may go through your activities as though you were surrounded by warm Jell-O. Your arms and legs may feel heavy. You may lean on things to support the weight of your body. It may even be difficult to hold up your head. Your speech may be slurred or slowed. You may feel as though you're in a trance. All of this can be frightening. Know, however, that all this is part of the process of healing. The body slows its outer motions to provide the energy necessary for inner healing. Don't push yourself. Relax. For a while, go slow. I remember thinking once that it would be good if you left because then I could get some Important Things done. Since you've left I've done nothing. Nothing is as important as you. Seventeen: It's OK to Need Comforting It's OK to be taken care of for awhile. Accept understanding and support from friends family co-workers An emotional wound is real, debilitating and painful. It's OK to need comfort. Some people are so good at comforting that they do it professionally. Feel free to seek the help of a health care professional with whom you feel comfortable. Be brave enough to accept the help of others. My friends are still here: neglected, rejected while I gave all my precious moments to you. They're still here! God bless them. Eighteen: Seek the Support of Others Although you may be afraid to do so, ask others for help. It's a human (and courageous) thing to do. Gather your friends, family and co-workers into a support system. You need to know that others care, and, if you tell them your pain, they will help. The telephone is a marvelous tool for support. Use it. Call friends, family, help lines. Invite a friend to stay overnight. Visit a relative (preferably at dinnertime). Neighbors can be wonderful. Strangers are merely friends you haven't yet met. help me up my friend. dust me off. feed me warmth. you are comfort. let me lean on you until I can stand alone. I will stand a little taller, and you will be proud to have a friend such as me. Nineteen: Touching and Hugging The healing power of touch cannot be over- estimated. If someone asks, "What can I do?" perhaps all you need to say is, "Hold my hand" or "Give me a hug." Get three hugs a day for survival, five for maintenance and eight (or more!) for growth. When others are not available to hug you--hug yourself. Go ahead. It feels good. Now's a great time for a nurturing massage. The most healing touch may be gently caressing yourself. If a part of you hurts, touch it and tell it, "I am here for you. I love you." One touch is worth ten thousand words. Twenty: Find Others Who Have Survived a Similar Loss The support of others who know what you're going through can be invaluable. Your friends may know someone who has survived a similar loss. There are many organizations dedicated to serving those with specific losses. Look in your local Yellow Pages under "Social Service Organizations" or "Human Service Organizations." People who have survived similar losses can provide support, guidance--and are proof that you too will survive. All the goodness of my life is gone. First you, and with you joy love freedom Then colors music trees. Even creativity, which is always the last to go, is only making a token appearance. Twenty-one: Seek Wise Guidance Wisdom has three components: love, firmness and knowledge. Look for these traits in those from whom you seek and accept guidance. Wise people can help you in fulfilling your schedule of tasks. You may need someone to "walk you through" your day. You can often find such people in your church, office, family, 12-step or other self-help groups. Beware, however, of anyone's well-meaning advice containing should you better it's time you I think you should Such approaches, far from being supportive, only foster guilt and a sense of inadequacy. Excuse me. I am currently afflicted with the world's number one crippler: infatuation fixation paralysis, commonly referred to as love. Any spare comfort you have to give would be most appreciated, although my ability to receive may be temporarily impaired. Thank you. Twenty-two: Surround Yourself with Things That Are Alive Don't isolate yourself from life. In addition to family and friends, invite other living things into your life: a new plant a stray kitten the puppy you've always wanted a bowl of goldfish even a bowl of fresh fruit has its own joy and consolation to offer. (And then you can eat it.) I'd have a nervous breakdown, only I've been through this too many times to be nervous. Twenty-three: Reaffirm Your Beliefs Reaffirm any beliefs in which you have faith or have found useful in the past. These may include religious, spiritual, psychological or philosophical beliefs you find appealing and valuable. Use any body of knowledge you find comforting, inspiring or uplifting. Reexplore it, lean on it, grow from it, enjoy it. Missing your love with God's so close at hand. It seems somehow a sacrilege but I think God understands. Twenty-four: Sundays Are the Worst No doubt about it. Holidays are the second-worst. Saturday nights aren't much fun, either. The feelings of separation may feel greater than usual three days, three weeks, three months, six months and a year after the loss. Schedule particularly comforting activities into these periods of time. Yesterday was Sunday. Sundays are always bad. ("Bloody," as they have been aptly described.) The full moon is Wednesday. Full moons are always bad. (Ask Lon Chaney.) Friday is Good Friday and, 30 miles from Rome, the vibrations of all those mourning worshippers will make it bad. Sunday is Easter--but it's also Sunday, and Sundays are always bad. Twenty-five: The Question of Suicide You may be having suicidal thoughts. They may or may not be as eloquent as "to be or not to be," but they may arise. Know they are a natural symptom of the pain, and that there is no need to act on them. If you fear these impulses are getting out of hand, seek professional help at once. Call directory assistance and ask for the number of your local Suicide Prevention Hotline. Then call it. The people (almost entirely volunteers) are there to help. They want to help. Give them the gift of allowing them to do so. Don't turn the rage you feel against yourself. (Although feeling rage is perfectly all right--after all, an utterly outrageous thing has happened to you.) Find a safe way to release it. Beat a pillow, cry, scream, stomp up and down, yell. Above all, suicide is silly. It's leaving the World Series ten minutes into the first inning just because your favorite hitter struck out. It's walking out of the opera during the overture just because the conductor dropped his baton. It's well, you get the picture. In this play called life, aren't you even a little curious about what might happen next? The feeling will pass. You can count on that. You will get better. Much better. We do promise you a rose garden. We just can't promise you it will be totally without thorns. THE QUESTION OF SUICIDE: Keep it a question. It's not really an answer. HEALING one thing I forgot: after the pain of parting comes the happiness of healing; rediscovering life, friends, self. Joy. Twenty-six: Do Your Mourning Now Don't postpone, deny, cover or run from your pain. Be with it. Now. Everything else can wait. An emotional wound requires the same priority treatment as a physical wound. Set time aside to mourn. The sooner you allow yourself to be with your pain, the sooner it will pass. The only way out is through. When you resist mourning, you interfere with the body's natural stages of recovery. If you postpone the healing process, grief can return months--even years--later to haunt you. Feel the fear, pain, desolation, anger. It's essential to the healing process. You are alive. You will survive. Grief is a quiet thing. Deadly in repose. A raging horror, a thunder of abuse. Raucous-- Demanding-- Incomprehensible-- Tearing all that one has ever loved. Hopeless, Forlorn, Fear-ridden and misunderstood; Ceasing a moment, and through the years Returning to. . .destroy. To rage, To curse all that is happy-- or contented, or trusting. To threaten every beauty that is true. Grief? It's a quiet thing --Melbe Colgrove > Twenty-seven: Earlier Losses May Surface You may have unresolved losses from the past: previous relationships, rejections, disappointments, hurts--and that wellspring of loss: childhood. A contemporary loss can reactivate a prior, unhealed loss. You may feel that you're responding "unreasonably" to a loss. In fact, you may be healing past losses, too. Give yourself permission to mend it all. Let it heal. A great book for Making Peace with Your Parents is by Harold H. Bloomfield >, M.D. with Leonard Felder, Ph.D. Available at your local bookstore. I sat evaluating myself. I decided to lie down. Twenty-eight: Be Gentle with Yourself Be very gentle with yourself--kind, forgiving, tender. Accept that you have an emotional wound, that it is debilitating, and that it will take awhile before you are completely well. Treat yourself with the same care and affection you would a good friend in a similar situation. Don't take on new responsibilities. If appropriate, let your coworkers and employer know you've suffered a loss and are healing. Avoid situations in which you may be stressed, challenged or upset. Accept assistance and support when offered, but remember that care and compassion begin at home--from yourself to yourself. And, for heaven sakes (and your own), don't blame yourself for any "mistakes" (either real or imagined) you think you may have made that brought you to this loss. You're great! To lose you as a love was painful To lose you as a friend is equally painful. But lost you are. The walls are sooo high, and that finely honed saber I had when I began storming your citadel isn't even sharp enough to slash my wrists. It's not that I don't care. It's just that I can't let myself care any more. Twenty-nine: Heal at Your Own Pace Although others may demand it, don't feel the need to immediately "understand" why the loss happened, or instantly "accept" the loss gracefully. They'll tell you to "shrug it off," "roll with the punches" and "snap out of it." If you succumb to such pressure and superficially dismiss your loss with such popular phrases as "That's life" "Oh, well" "It doesn't matter" "Who cares?" your artificial "acceptance" may interfere with healing. Healing is a process. You have the full right to experience the process in your own way, to gain your understandings and realizations in your own time. To demanding friends, you can quote the proverb: "Be patient. God (or nature) hasn't finished healing me yet." Be patient with impatient friends. This season is called fall because everything nature builds all summer long falls apart. Like our love. Thirty: Don't Try to Rekindle the Old Relationship Futile attempts at reconciliation are painful anti-healing anti-growth a waste of valuable energy stupid irresistible Resist. To give up this final hope may be the most difficult challenge of all. Invest your energies in healing and growing, in yourself, in new relationships and in life. Learning to let go can be one of life's greatest lessons. The layers I have put around the pain of your going are thin. I walk softly through life, adding thickness each day. A thought or a feeling of you cracks the surface. A call to you shatters it all And I spend that night in death, spinning the first layer of life with the sunrise. Thirty-one: Make a Pact with a Friend If the urge to contact the "long lost love" is strong, make a pact--a contract--with a friend. Don't make the pact unreasonable. An example of an unreasonable pact might be, "I will never see him/her as long as I live!" A more reasonable pact is, "Before I contact him/her, I will contact you first and talk about it." Sometimes the support of another can get you through those "irresistible periods," and keep you from doing something you know you'll probably regret later. She asked me if seeing you was a drain. Seeing you is not a drain. It's a sewer. How to Survive the Loss of a Love Thirty-two: Mementos If you find photographs and mementos helpful in the mourning process, use them. If you find mementos bind you to a dead past, get rid of them--put them in the attic, sell them, give them away or throw them out. Don't make any "thing" more important than your healing--or yourself. I ceremoniously disposed of all the objects connected with you I thought they were contaminated. It did not help. I'm the one that's contaminated! Thirty-three: Anticipate a Positive Outcome Whatever you pay attention to--focus upon--becomes more powerful in your life. Focus on a positive outcome. Expect it. Anticipate it. Plan on it. It will come. Be with the sadness, fear and pain when it comes, but don't dwell on it. Accept it, but don't invite it (except during your scheduled periods of mourning). Pain is an acceptable guest, but it is not a welcome long-term visitor. How will it happen? How will it happen when I find some someone to spend a goodly portion of my life with? It must. I mean, I've been pre-pairing so long It will happen. Yes. I will not dwell on if, only how, when, where, whom. Thirty-four: Expect to Feel Afraid Fear is a natural result of loss, a part of the healing process. There are so many things to fear when one suffers a loss: fear of being alone fear of being deserted or rejected fear that you'll never love again fear you'll never be loved again fear of the pain, desolation and torment that may lie ahead Far from being the dark thing we are trained to treat fear as a child, fear is, in fact, extra energy to successfully meet the challenges of healing and growing ahead. You will successfully meet the challenges. Fear, when used as the energy it is, can help you meet those challenges. Don't fight the fear--use it. Fear is a friend, not an enemy. (More on fear as a friend on page 184.) as the memory of your light fades my days grow dark. my nights are lit with electric bulbs. I cannot sleep. I am afraid of the dark. I am afraid that you will return and then fade again. I am afraid that you will never return. I am afraid that my next thought will be of you. I am afraid that I will run out of poems before I run out of pain. Thirty-five: It's OK to Feel Depressed Pretending to have more energy, enthusiasm or happiness than you actually have is not productive. Pretending expends energy that could better be used for healing. It's OK to feel "low" for awhile. Crying has its own specialness; a cleansing, purifying release. to those who ever wished me ill: this night your wish has been fulfilled. Thirty-six: It's OK to Feel Anger Everyone gets angry at the loss of love. Everyone. It's OK to feel anger. It's OK to feel anger toward the person who left (even if he or she left you through death) the person who took something or someone away the social conventions or customs that contributed to the loss the fates It's not OK to hate yourself act upon your anger in a destructive way Let the anger out (safely, please!): Hit a pillow. Kick on a bed. Yell and scream (a car parked in a deserted place makes a great "scream chamber"). Play volleyball, tennis, handball, soccer. Hit a punching bag. Play piano at full crescendo. If the anger is channeled and dissipated in these harmless (indeed, helpful) ways, you'll avoid senseless arguments, accidents and illness. Your anger will pass as your hurting heals. I'm past the point of going quietly insane. I'm getting quite noisy about it. The neighbors must think I'm mad. The neighbors, for once, think right. Thirty-seven: It's OK to Feel Guilty When you feel guilty, you are feeling angry with yourself. You violated a belief you have about the way you "should" think, act or feel, and you are mad at yourself for doing so. It's OK to feel guilt, but there are limits. Just as it's OK to feel anger, but it's not OK to hurt someone physically, it's OK to feel angry with yourself, but not to the point of illness or incapacity. Some regrets are natural, but excessive self-punishment can be harmful. The antidote to guilt is forgiveness. You may be treating yourself far worse than the loss ever did. Don't do that. Treat yourself with love, respect, kindness and forgiveness. How I love you and hate you. How bound I am to you. How bound I am to break my bondage. I want to be free! I want to be able to enjoy the day again, and give me back my nights. Thirty-eight: You May Want to Hire a Professional or Two There are many people who, as a profession, help others heal and grow. These include (listed here in alphabetical order so as not to slight anyone!) alcohol and substance abuse counselors chiropractors clinical psychologists exercise and fitness trainers homeopaths licensed hypnotherapists marriage, child and family counselors massage therapists medical doctors and other health practitioners nurse practitioners nutritionists pastoral counselors psychiatrists social workers stress management counselors If you feel drawn to one or more of these, give them a try. See what the results are. If not helpful, try someone else. If helpful, try him or her again. all I need is someone to talk to about you but you are the only person I can really talk to. trapped. Thirty-nine: When You Might Want Counseling or Therapy Most loss, emotional crises or life difficulties do not require psychotherapy. Nevertheless, professional assistance may be necessary or useful in the following instances: if you fear actually doing damage to someone else or yourself--including acting on suicidal thoughts if you seek solace in alcohol, drugs, overeating or other potentially harmful activities if the support of wise friends and family is not enough if you repeatedly find yourself in loss situations if you don't feel good about yourself, are perpetually out of control or under strain most of the time Most people spend more time selecting a car than a therapist. As with any "important purchase," shop around. Interview several therapists. Ask questions. What is their method of working with clients? What do they charge? What is their estimated length of treatment? How you feel about the therapist is of primary importance. Do you feel comfortable telling her anything about your life? Do you like him? Do you trust her? Does he treat you as an equal? Would you choose this person for a friend? With a good therapist, significant benefits can often come in just a few sessions. As soon as I became aware of my addictive personality, I gave up drugs (illegal ones), and I never started on the legal poisons like alcohol or tobacco or television. But, fool that I am, I forgot to give up the most addictive thing around-- The Hard Stuff: Love. And now it's too late. I'm hooked for life. An emotion-mainliner. A touch-junkie. A love addict. Forty: A Complete Medical Workup May Be in Order You might want to get a complete medical workup (physical exam, blood tests, the works). It's probably long overdue, anyway. There are some physical illnesses triggered by loss, and there are some physical illnesses that feel like loss, even though the cause is physical. Now might be a good time to take a look at the functioning of your body. Your health care provider can best advise you on the value of this suggestion, as well as the extent of the tests. If there is anything you fear you might discover in these tests, remember that knowledge is better (and more powerful) than fear. is romanticism a treatable dis- ease? Forty-one: Some Depressions May Require Medication If your symptoms of depression (page 9) seem severe or continue longer than normal, an hour spent with a well-informed psychiatrist discussing your situation and evaluating your next course of action--including the option of medication--can be invaluable. All too often, people suffering symptoms of severe depression fail to seek psychiatric treatment because they fear the stigma of "mental illness." This is an unfortunate irony because severe, chronic depression is a prevalent and well-recognized medical disorder, one as treatable as diabetes or hypertension. Severe biological depression results from a biochemical imbalance in the brain. Antidepressants, taken as prescribed by a psychiatrist, are non-addictive and effective. If you wonder whether you need antidepressant medication, contact a competent psychiatrist for an evaluation. Perhaps the best news in some time about the treatment of depression is that an inexpensive, relatively harmless herb can be as effective in treating mild to moderate depression as prescription antidepressants. It's called St. John's wort. (The formal Latin name is Hypericum perforatum.) St. John's wort is a natural herb that has been used to heal emotional wounds for thousands of years. St. John's wort requires no prescription, is far less expensive than prescription antidepressants, and has far fewer side effects. St. John's wort is so safe, in fact, that many people take it just to see if they feel better. Most do. Dr. Bloomfield and Peter McWilliams have written a book, Hypericum (St. John's Wort) & Depression. The book is available online at www.hypericum.com >. Peter McWilliams was so displeased with the lack of uniform quality and high cost of commercially available St. John's wort that he markets his own brand under the name Joy Pills. Please go to www.joypills.com >. How many more times will tears be my only comfort? How many times will I see that the potential is dead, and that "our" love was really in my head? How many more times will I give up, and how many times will I want you so bad that nothing seems good? How many times with you? How many times with how many others? Forty-two: Nutrition Giving your body what it needs to function properly--and avoiding the things that interfere with its functioning--is important anytime, but particularly important following a loss. Drink lots of water--eight to ten glasses per day. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat them raw, or lightly steamed. Complex carbohydrates (whole grains, potatoes, pasta--yes, pasta!) are excellent sources of nutrition. Reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and cyclamates. Beware of junk food attacks and sugar binges! Take a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. Especially valuable during loss are vitamin C, the B vitamins, calcium and potassium. Make all dietary changes gradually. Don't jump on a fad-diet bandwagon. Make a few changes, see how you feel, and make a few more. Listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs. The garden loves the rain and, yes, this is love. But the love I want for you --the love I want to give you-- is the love the rain gives the garden. Loving is giving freedom. Forty-three: Remember: You're Vulnerable In these days of stress and recovery, remember that you're vulnerable. Guard your physical health: Get rest. Don't overextend yourself. Eat sensibly. Get moderate exercise. Drive more carefully. Guard your emotional and mental health: Be kind to yourself. Stay away from toxic things, situations and people. Take your time. Don't try to understand, comprehend or figure everything out. Don't take on jobs that aren't yours. (As the Talmud pointed out, "The sun will set without thy assistance.") Don't enter into situations in which you must be "convinced." Your sales resistance may be low. Keep that in mind. Invite help from people who are trustworthy and able to do what you request of them. There is no need to overprotect yourself. Just be aware that much of your energy is being used for healing and that the body's natural defense mechanisms may be weakened. Once upon a time, and a very long time ago it was, too, I was innocent. I did not know what love was. Pain was when you fell from a tree. Forty-four: Beware of the Rebound Nature abhors a vacuum. You may find yourself rushing prematurely into romantic attachments in an attempt to fill that emptiness. If your healing isn't complete, an initial rebound is likely to be followed by another loss, a second rebound, another loss, then another, until your emotional life is lived in the ricochet pattern of a handball court. Falling "madly in love" soon after a traumatic breakup seems great at first: your wildest hopes and fantasies come true! But then the bottom falls out. You discover the new love is not that totally sensuous, intelligent, considerate, understanding, sophisticated god/goddess you initially perceived. Only a human, just like everyone else. Sigh. If you want to fall in love with someone, how about trying yourself? It's always you & you & you but it's really me. I'll try again and gain again and die again and push on into the night. To be reborn by a look and a touch. And to hope again that this time it will last, and to know it will not be the last. Forty-five: Under-Indulge in Addictive Activities Beware of anything you may be--or may become--addicted to. Under-indulgence in the escape mechanisms of society is in order. Be with the pain, don't run away from it. Alcohol may numb the pain momentarily, but it is a depressant, and the eventual effect will be greater depression. Drugs (marijuana, uppers, downers, all the recreational chemicals) interfere with the natural healing process and should be avoided. A series of momentary "highs" is a poor trade-off for a deepening depression. Calorie junkies beware! You may tend to overeat during this time, allowing "unwanted inches" to creep onto your waistline, causing a lowered self-image, resulting in even more depression. Better visit a diet center or your physician instead. Smoking more now but enjoying it less? Two great books on overcoming the addiction of negative thinking (or any other addiction) are You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought and its companion workbook Focus on the Positive by and our own Peter McWilliams. You can find them at your local bookstore, or by calling 1-800-LIFE-101. I have done it to me again. No other being has the power to hurt me as deeply as I do. It is the "need" The "need" for love. I need love because I am not happy with I; me is not satisfied with me. In order to stop this hurting I must reach a point of contentment within myself. And that'll take some reaching. Forty-six: Pamper Yourself If you have a broken leg and are hospitalized, friends bring you flowers, relatives send baskets of fruit, you lie in bed all day reading or watching TV, nurses give you back rubs, doctors poke, prod and nod encouragingly. In short, you are pampered. If you have a broken heart, friends expect you to be your cheerful old self, relatives expect you to fulfill all your family obligations and you are expected to show up for work as energetic and efficient as ever. In short, you must deal with a world that does not accept the fact that emotional pain not only hurts, but that it can be debilitating. The solution? Pamper yourself. In addition to the suggestions on the following page, do for yourself whatever your parents did to comfort you as a child. Suggestions for pampering yourself: Take a hot bath (no matter how you feel, thirty minutes after taking a hot bath you'll feel a lot better). Give or get a massage (rough and vigorous or slow and sensual). Snack on hot milk and cookies before bed. Buy yourself something you'd really enjoy. Treat yourself to your favorite double-dip ice-cream cone (with sprinkles). Get a manicure, pedicure or any other cure. Take a trip. Bask in the sun. Read a good book. Watch a good video. Take time for yourself. Buy yourself a cashmere anything. Go to a fine restaurant. See a good movie, play, opera, horse race. Visit an art museum. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers. Acquiesce to your whims. Enjoy! Forty-seven: Dreams Can Be Healing Healing is a full-time process, 24-hours a day, even while you sleep. Some say especially while you sleep. You may get messages, information, insights or lessons from your dreams. Be open to them. You may want to keep a notebook by your bed to write them down. Nightmares can be the body's process of resolving issues too painful or disturbing to encounter consciously. Know that healing is taking place. Once you know the images in a nightmare cannot hurt you, you can watch them like a movie--a horror movie, perhaps, but a movie nonetheless. Consciously surround yourself with Goodness and Light before going to sleep, knowing that only that which is for your highest good will take place--no matter what you dream.Forty-nine: clouds ingest the moon. raindrops die with a splat on concrete causeways the floodgates are about to burst a banshee howls over our love. Forty-eight: Sleep Patterns May Change Changes in sleep patterns--how long you sleep or when you sleep--are common while healing. If you have trouble falling asleep, wake up repeatedly during the night or wake up too early, this is known as insomnia. Above all, insomnia is nothing to worry about. In fact, worrying about not sleeping can cause one to lose sleep. We all don't "need" eight hours every night, so if you are sleeping less for a while, that's fine. You might try a glass of warm, low-fat milk before going to bed. Listen to soothing music, or to a tape of an uplifting meditation or lecture. If you find yourself trying to go to sleep for more than an hour, get up and do something else for a while. This breaks the pattern of worrying about worrying about sleeping. If you wake at night, read or listen to something comforting and inspiring. Or, you might try meditation, contemplation or prayer. Late at night, when everything is still, is a wonderful time for contacting the goodness within and around you. Over-the-counter sleeping pills are not recommended. If you fear your insomnia is severe, see your doctor. On the other hand, you may find yourself sleeping "too much." There is no such thing as "too much" sleep after a loss. Sleep until you wake up. Nap when you want to. Consider it part of your overall healing. Someday I will categorize the circle of pain I put myself through every time I get hung up in someone. I'll have a lot of time to do it, too. The insomnia's beginning. Forty-nine: Sexual Desire May Change A decrease--or complete lack--of sexual desire is often experienced after a loss. It is nothing to worry about. The body needs its energy for healing, and it automatically channels all available energy to that purpose. Also common after loss is difficulty--or inability--to perform sexually. While frustrating and sometimes embarrassing, this, too, is nothing to worry about. Now is not the time to put more pressure on yourself. It's OK to take a break from sex for a while. Full sexual desire and functioning will naturally return when the body has had a chance to heal itself. who took the L out of Lover? Fifty: Remaining Distraught Is No Proof of Love Remaining distraught for a long period of time is not proof that you "really loved." Of course you really loved. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have felt the loss in the first place. The fact that you can heal rapidly is proof that you are focusing your energies on healing, not that you didn't love fully or completely. You are not duty-bound to feel pain any longer than it's actually there. I am missing you far better than I ever loved you. How to Survive the Loss of a Love Fifty-one: Surround Yourself with Goodness and Light Whenever you think of it, ask that you be surrounded by all the Goodness and Light you can imagine. "Good" is such an obvious thing, it's difficult to define. We all know what we consider the best, the highest, the greatest, the goodest. You can think of "Good" as in "The Good Earth," or "Good" as "God" with an extra "o!" added. Light is a concept that seems to permeate almost every religious belief and spiritual practice. The Light of Nature to the Light of the Holy Spirit; the Light of the Sun to the Light of the Son. Whenever you call upon this Goodness and Light, it's a good idea to ask that it do its work for your highest good and the highest good of all concerned. In this way, our own personal preferences of the moment are not competing with whatever higher good d may be planned for us. Breathe deeply of Goodness and Light. Let it fill every cell of your body. Breathe it into any areas (mental, emotional or physical) in need of healing. Asking for Goodness and Light to surround, fill, protect and heal you, for your highest good and the highest good of all concerned, need not take long--a few seconds at most (as long as it took you to read this sentence). It takes so little time, and the potential rewards are so great, we consider it a good investment in your healing and growing. Life is not a struggle. It's a wiggle. Fifty-two: Pray, Meditate, Contemplate Whatever methods of prayer, meditation or contemplation you know--or would like to know better--now is a good time to use them. When we become still, the pain may resurface. That's fine. Let it be there, and continue with your inner work. Hurt that arises during prayer, meditation or contemplation is healing in nature. When praying, we suggest you ask, primarily, for the strength to endure, the power to heal and the wisdom to learn. I missed you last night. I missed you this morning. I meditated. I no longer miss you. I love you. Fifty-three: Keep a Journal You might find keeping a journal or diary helpful. Putting your thoughts and emotions on paper is a good way of getting things out, of setting them in order. Don't add any "I will make an entry every day or else" rules to your journal keeping. Write when you feel like it, and when you don't, forget it. (The various authors of this tome have, at one time or another, attempted to keep journals. Only one of us [the compulsive one] thus far has succeeded for more than a month.) I write only until I cry, which is why so few poems this month have been completed. It's just that I... Fifty-four: There Is a Beauty in Sadness There is a certain beauty in sadness (and here we mean genuine sadness, not self-pity). We cannot elaborate upon this further (not even the corn-fed poet in our midst dares do that), but we thought it was worth mentioning. If you are enjoying the beauty of being sad, it's perfectly all right. you left traces of your self all over my room: a poem scribbled in the margin of a book a corner of a page turned over in another book. your smell on my blanket. where are you tonight? in whose room are you leaving traces? are you perhaps discovering the traces of my self I left on your soul? Fifty-five: Let Yourself Heal Fully Let the healing process run its full course. A time of convalescence is very important. For a while, don't become involved in an all-consuming passionate romance or a new project that requires great time and energy. Just follow your daily routine--and let yourself heal. If you do not allow the hurt to heal completely, you may find emotional over-sensitivity the result. You might flinch at every new encounter. Let yourself heal. It will never be the same. I will never be the same. You came. We loved. You left. I will survive until I survive. And one day, I will find myself alive again. And another day another's path will run parallel to mine for awhile. And yet another day, you will return, and I will see It is not the same. Fifty-six: Affirm Yourself To "affirm" is to "make firm." Make firm the loving, healing and positive thoughts you have about yourself and your life. An affirmation usually begins "I am" and is always stated in the present tense. Claim what you want as though you already have it. "I am healthy, wealthy and happy," not "I want to be healthy, wealthy and happy." Say aloud, over and over, these, or any other affirmations you may create: "I am alive. I will survive." "I am healing." "I am surrendering to the process of healing." "I am healing fully." "I am healing naturally." "I am gentle with myself." "My heart is mending." "I am stronger." "I have the courage to grow." "I am grateful for so much." "I am patient with my healing." "My patience will outlast my pain." I am the nicest thing I could ever do for myself. Fifty-seven: Visualization Visualizing is imagining the outcome of something--what the future will be. We all visualize--often. We consider the future, and envision it either positively or negatively. Our problem occurs when we negatively visualize--imagining a future of lack, loneliness and despair. Take a moment and visualize a positive outcome. Imagine yourself healed, happily alive, thriving, loving and loved. Use as many of your senses as you can. See, feel, hear, taste and smell your joyful, nurturing future. Start slowly--a minute or so at first. Then build--visualization by visualization, day by day--imagining your positive future for longer and longer periods of time. Soon, your present will be the positive future you imagine now. That--or something greater, of course--for your highest good and the highest good of all concerned. When we are together we are one, when we are apart each is whole. Let this be our dream. Let this be our goal. Fifty-eight: Use Color to Lift Your Spirit You've probably noticed that certain colors have certain effects. We feel different walking into a dimly lit black room than we do walking into a brightly lit yellow room. As much as possible, stay in the "up" spectrum of colors--yellow, orange, red and pastels. Also, surround yourself with green--be it clothing, food, furniture or plants. Green is soothing and seems to promote healing and growth. And stay away from black and blue--you've been bruised enough already. Color me healed. Fifty-nine: Laugh! Laughter is one of the most healing activities around. Whatever it is that makes you laugh, do it. Rent a video, buy a comedy tape, read a funny book, talk to people who make you laugh. Ask your friends to call you with anecdotes, stories and jokes they may have, hear or meet. And, yes, it's OK to laugh about your loss. There is a fine line between tragedy and comedy. Seeing the humor in your loss, your reaction to the loss and even your memories about what was lost, can be healing. You are not being disloyal to that which you loved by seeing the humor in him, her or it. Humor can, in fact, honor the relationship. Why must I always fall for chicken shits on ego trips? Sixty: As Healing Continues As your healing continues, you will find your thinking sharpened your judgment sounder and more reliable your concentration and memory improved a desire to be with others more a desire to do more for others your feelings become more expansive, optimistic and alive You'll feel stronger, more content and independent. You'll want to get out, get moving and try new things. A new morning of a new life without you. So? There will be others, much finer, much mine-er. And until then, there is me. And because I treated you well, I like me better. Also, the sun rises. GROWING and through all the tears and the sadness and the pain comes the one thought that can make me internally smile again I have loved. Sixty-one: You're Stronger Now You have experienced a loss, encountered it with courage (at least some of the time) and have survived. You've learned that You can survive. The pain does lessen. Much of what you feared did not come to pass. Healing does occur. But don't just settle for surviving and healing. Use this experience as a springboard for greater growth. the last day of my loving you is at hand. in hand, a pen, writing one of the last poems exclusively yours. my pain fades, as autumn did. winter is too intense a season to miss someone in the last leaf fell today. the first snow falls tonight. Sixty-two: Let Go of the Loss and Move On At a certain point (and that point differs from loss to loss and from person to person), it's time to leave the loss behind and move on. Don't be surprised if you actually miss the process of mourning. Some people mourn the loss of the mourning process. Let go of the past. Look forward to the future. You will, of course, occasionally look over your shoulder, but, for the most part, focus on the future and keep moving ahead. Let yourself enjoy the excitement of uncertainty. I shall miss loving you. I shall miss the Comfort of your embrace. I shall miss the Loneliness of waiting for your calls that never came. I shall miss the Joy of our comings, and Pain of your goings. and, after a time, I shall miss missing loving you. Sixty-three: Forgiveness Is Letting Go To forgive does not just mean to pardon, it means to let go. Jesus, probably the greatest teacher of forgiveness in history ("Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do"), used the Aramaic word shaw when he spoke of forgiveness. Shaw means "to untie." If you are tied to a rock that is pulling you down in the water, all you have to do is forgive it (untie it) and swim toward the light. When you forgive the past, you untie yourself from the past, and are free. To forgive also means to be for (in favor of) giving (to deliver a gift). When you forgive, you affirm that you are in favor of giving. To whom do you give? Another? Sometimes. Yourself? Always. When you release another to go his or her own way, you free yourself to do the same. The process of giving yourself this gift of freedom is forgiveness. The forgetting is difficult. The remembering, worse. Sixty-four: Forgive the Other Person Whenever you can, as soon as you can, forgive the other person. You do this not for the other person, you do this for yourself--your peace of mind and the quality of your future relationships. A simple, but remarkably effective, technique of forgiveness is this: First say, "I forgive ___________ (the person, event or thing that caused your loss) for ____________ (what they did to cause the loss)." That's the first part of forgiveness. Then say, "I forgive myself for judging ___________ (same person, event or thing) for ___________ (same transgression)." The second part of forgiveness--forgiving yourself for judging another--is important, but often overlooked. Your judgment of the other person's action is what hurt you emotionally. When you forgive his or her action, you must also forgive your judgment of his or her action. It may take many repetitions of the above sentences to untie the many layers of transgressions and judgments--but keep at it. You can, and will, be free. The love I give you is second hand. I feel it first. Sixty-five: Forgive Yourself Whenever you can, as soon as you can, forgive yourself. Whatever errors, transgressions, failings, weaknesses, infractions or mistakes you feel you made to cause the loss--real or imagined--forgive yourself for those. The process is the same as forgiving another. Surround yourself with Goodness and Light and say, "I forgive myself for __________ (the failing)." Then add, "I forgive myself for judging myself for _________ (the same failing)." Again, the most powerful part of the process is forgiving yourself for having judged yourself for whatever you did (or didn't do). Who (besides parents, teachers, society and nearly everyone else) said you must be perfect? Forgive yourself for being human, forgive yourself for judging your humanness, and move on. A great book on forgiving yourself is Making Peace with Yourself by Harold H. Bloomfield >, M.D. with Leonard Felder, P h.D. You can find it at your local bookstore. At a critical moment I said: "I would rather you go and regret your going than stay and regret your staying." Some day I'm going to learn to keep my mouth shut. Sixty-six: Take Stock of the Good Now that the pain is less, understanding can grow. You may begin seeing change and separation as a natural, inevitable and necessary part of life. The relationship brought you a great deal of good (that's why you missed it so terribly when it was no longer there). Much of it is still with you. Now is the time to take stock of that good: He taught you to appreciate good food. She occasioned your interest in skiing. That job taught you a great deal about computers. You are a better person for having loved. Sifting through the ashes of our relationship, I find many things to be grateful for. I can say "thank you" for warm mornings, cold protein drinks, and all the love you have ever offered another. I can say "thank you" for being there, willing to be shared. I can say "thank you" for the countless poems you were the inspiration for and the many changes you were catalyst to. But how, in my grasp of the English language, faltering as it is, can I ever thank you for Beethoven ? How to Survive the Loss of a Love Sixty-seven: You Are a Better Person for Having Loved You cared. You became involved. You learned to invest yourself. Your interaction permitted loving and caring. Even though you lost, you are a better person for having loved. You were the best of loves, you were the worst of loves and you left behind several unintended gifts: Through you I re-examined my need (uh, desire?) for one significant other to share my life. You commanded in me an unwilling (but probably much-needed) re-evaluation of self, behavior patterns relationshipping, & a corresponding change in attitudes; i.e. growth. I'm nicer to people. I'm more in touch with my feelings the things and persons around me, life. And, of course, a scattering of poems (the best of poems, the worst of poems) that never would have happened without your disruptions. Thanks. Sixty-eight: Praise Yourself for the Courage to Relate You are a richer, deeper, wiser person for having invested in a relationship--even if that relationship ended in loss. Praise yourself for the courage to relate. "Courage" is based on the French word for "from the heart." It took great heart to care, to be vulnerable, to love. Praise, honor and celebrate your heart. Would we dare quote something as clichéd as, "It is far, far better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"? Of course we wouldn't. Now's the time to see what lessons you learned from your loss, and what possible good is contained within the loss. Love, no matter what you feel it for, is still love. The object does not change the emotion. But the emotion quite often changes the object. Sixty-nine: Changes A new chapter in your life has begun, and is by now well under way. Know that you have the ability to make the changes this new chapter requires. Be prepared to make an adjustment, perhaps two or three. Now is a good time to start experimenting with new behaviors, new activities, new ways of fulfilling the day-to-day needs that are still unattended. It will take courage, but it is exciting. This might even be fun! The need you grew still remains. But less and less you seem the way to fill that need. I am. Seventy: Start Anew Be open. Be open to new people, places, ideas, experiences. It's time to move far beyond the "I'll never love again--love only brings pain" attitude. Do your best to Remain trusting. Maintain a lively curiosity. Be open to learn. Visit new places. Now's the time to Redecorate (or at least clean) your apartment. Buy (or make) some new clothes. Learn--whatever it is you've always wanted to know (pottery or politics). Choose (and pursue) new goals. The difference between love and loving is the difference between fish and fishing. Seventy-one: Invite New People into Your Life Now is the time to make new friends, associates, colleagues. Attend meetings, concerts, plays, social events--any public gathering of kindred souls. (It's fine to go alone.) Meet your neighbors. Find in yourself the courage to introduce yourself to anyone--even a total stranger. When making new acquaintances, ask questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer. Use "how" and "why" questions rather than only "what" or "who." Offer to drive people home or invite them out for a cup of coffee. Carry paper and pen to share phone numbers. You might even have calling cards printed. (Whatever happened to calling cards?) I am not a total stranger. I am a perfect stranger. Seventy-two: Develop New Interests. . . Now's the time to develop new interests. Archery's always held some fascination? How about water polo? Marco Polo? Piano solo? Explore whatever or wherever you want to explore--on video or in person. Is it time to get that personal computer? A new language? Brush up on an old language? (English, perhaps?) How about a course in bookkeeping--or bee keeping? Gardening? Sewing? Canning? Auto maintenance? Garment weaving? Gourmet cooking? Metal shop? Read a book. Take a class. Learn--and above all do--something new. Yes, we can even recommend a book on computers! It's Peter McWilliams' Personal Computer Book and it's available at local bookstores, or by calling 1-800-LIFE-101. Seventy-three: . . .But Don't Forget the Old Interests Don't forget about the old interests and activities you've let lapse. Rediscover the ones that gave you a special sense of achievement, excitement, joy. In choosing new and old interests, be sure to intersperse those activities which require people and those which you do best alone. Seventy-four: Groups Perhaps you feel shy, or simply don't want to make new contacts on your own. If so, groups may be the answer. There are literally hundreds of groups you can join. Check the Yellow Pages under "Clubs," "Associations," "Fellowships," etc. You can join a group to learn something, to travel, to meet people, to celebrate common interests--there are so many possibi lities. Church-sponsored groups are readily available. There are many groups that cater especially to the newly-single-again individual. They include Parents without Partners The Singletons Singles Dating Club Over-30 Club The Toastmasters' Club helps develop speaking skills that may be helpful in expressing yourself to others. Adult education classes, "Y" groups, and programs sponsored by The American Youth Hostels offer opportunities not only for learning new skills, but for meeting others in a comfortable environment. Someday we are going to be lovers. Maybe married. At the very least, an affair. What's your name? Seventy-five: Self-Improvement Anyone? It may be time to change (one at a time, please) something you'd like to change about yourself: Go on a diet. Stop smoking. Stop drinking. Begin an exercise program. Seek professional help if necessary, and/or join a recognized group (AA, Weight Watchers, etc.). Be gentle with yourself, but set a realistic goal and then achieve it. At the same time, accentuate your positives. Be even more tolerant trusting/trustworthy helpful giving concerned loving yourself A great book to read is LIFE 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned About Life in School--But Didn't by Peter McWilliams. Available at your local bookstore, or by calling 1-800-LIFE-101. Maturity is a very magical thing Now you see it, now you don't. Seventy-six: Your Words Have Power You should not use "should." Never use "never." We wish you wouldn't use "wish." Hopefully you'll give up "hope." Maybe you'd be better off without "maybe." You must not use "must." Things are seldom black or white. We live in a world of "often," "sometimes" and "seldom." Using those words gives those around you more freedom--more freedom to be themselves, to be human and simply to be. And be sure to give the same freedom to yourself. I've heard a lot about the dangers of living beyond one's means. What worries me, however, is my current habit of living beyond my meanings. Seventy-seven: Think "Both/And" Rather Than "Either/Or" Your relationship with whomever or whatever you loved was both "good" and "bad." Such is life. Life is not either good or bad. Life includes both good and bad. Life is not lived in one extreme, struggling to eliminate the other. Life is the continuum between the extremes. After a loss, people tend to dwell on the darker side of life and long for a time when everything will be "perfect" again. Life was never perfect. Life always included both perfect and imperfect. It always has, and it always will. Welcome to life. Perfect joy and perfect sorrow. One following another, following another. The poles, the extremes, of emotional life, and all points in between. Following one another. Following one another. Gently up, gently down, like the ocean under a boat. Seventy-eight: The Freedom to Choose Enjoy your freedom. You're in control now. Make the most of the ability to choose where what how when why who You can make (and make well) the necessary decisions to sort clean rearrange discard acquire You are bringing order into your world again. You can choose the world you want to have around you. A great book on choosing goals and fulfilling dreams is DO IT! Let's Get Off Our Buts by Peter McWilliams. Available (guess where!) at your local bookstore, or by calling 1-800-LIFE-101. I don't want to build my life around you, but I do want to include you in the building of my life. Seventy-nine: It's OK to Ask Seek the support of others in achieving your goals. Do not, however, depend upon their approval or assistance before you move toward your goal. If they don't want to go to Hawaii with you, aloha alone. It is a risk to love. What if it doesn't work out? Ah, but what if it does? Eighty: It's OK for Others to Say No Rejection isn't personal. When people say "no" to you, they're merely saying "yes" to some other portion of their life. You have nothing to do with it. Therefore, there's no need to take it personally. When you learn to allow others to say "no" and not become upset by it, you get two rewards: (1) you are less upset, and (2) you tend to ask others more often for what you want. (If you don't experience "no" as a rejection, then there's no fear of reje ction.) The more people you ask, the more chances you have of getting what you want. In baseball, the very best hitters only get three hits every ten times at bat. And guess who has the all-time strike-out record? Babe Ruth. If one-third the people you ask say yes, you are doing very well. Even if only one in 100 says yes, that's one more than you would have had without asking. I don't know how to lose. That's part of the problem. I don't know how to win, either. That's the other part. Eighty-one: It's OK for Others to Say Yes Some people fear acceptance more than rejection. This usually springs from a lack of self worth. When we don't feel worthy, we think things like, "You'll go out with me? I thought you had good taste," or ask questions such as, "I'm hired? What's wrong with the company?" The secret of self-esteem is to do good things, and remember that you've done them. Learn to accept acceptance. When people say "You look lovely," "That was beautiful," "I appreciate your skill," "You make me feel great," take it in. help me. show me that I can love with out fears, frustrations, falsehoods, hesitations. show me the face of god. Eighty-two: Fear Can Be a Friend When we label an emotion "fear," we tend to back away from the action causing the fear (basically, anything new). If we label the same emotion "excitement" or "adventure," we have the energy to move into the new activity with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. Fear is the energy to do your best in a new situation. There is no need to "get rid of" fear. We need only reprogram our attitude toward fear. If we treat it as a friend, it makes a great companion on our explorations of the new. The world is good. I feel whole & directed. Touch my Joy with me. I cannot keep my smiles in single file. Eighty-three: The Antidote for Anxiety Is Action Worried about something? Do something about it. Take a physical action to correct, solve, communicate or educate yourself about whatever concerns you. The action may be as simple as a phone call, writing a letter, taking a walk or reading a book. You may discover there is nothing to worry about. If you discover there is something to worry about, use worry as the energy to make an improvement. We are such good friends you & I. After being with you for only a little while I no longer relate to sadness. Eighty-four: Postpone Procrastination We're going to write this chapter real soon. Honest. We promise. Cross our hearts. Tomorrow. Thursday at the latest. I have this great poem on procrastination-- I'll send it to you real soon. As soon as I write it down. Eighty-five: The Past Remember: the healing process continues even while you're growing. Memories may come drifting back one Sunday morning or when "our song" is played on the radio. Expect this. It doesn't mean you're sinking back into depression, it's just the ebb and flow of healing and growing. Be with the feeling. Know that it soon will pass. I know our time together is no more. Then why do words come to mind that call you back? Why do I plan lifetimes that include you? Why do I torture myself with love I never felt while you were here? Eighty-six: Anniversaries You may experience the loss in miniature when anniversaries, birthdays or other significant reminders appear. Know that your recovery from the pain of such reminders will be faster, and that all you've learned to survive, heal and grow the first time around will be just as valuable the second time. The third anniversary will hurt less; the fourth, even less. Note the dates of upcoming anniversaries. Plan activities that are particularly enjoyable, uplifting and comforting on those days. Eventually, all you'll remember is the loving. It's been two years since we talked last. You lead a church choir somewhere. The pauses between your sentences are longer. More pregnant--or so you would like the world to believe. They make me as uncomfortable as ever. "A person out of the past" you keep saying, unwilling to accept my present. Questions answered by questions. Statements questioned by silence. Your ambiguity and my ambivalence clash again, for the last time. Eighty-seven: Solitude You can enjoy being alone again. Explore and appreciate solitude. "Alone" does not mean "lonely." Solitary pursuits can be delight-filled restful exciting in joy able a prelude to creativity spending time with the most important person in your life--you fun Enjoying yourself is a prerequisite to genuinely enjoying others. The difference between "a1one" and "a11 one" is 1 (me), and a little space. Eighty-eight: Creativity You'll find yourself once again remarkable in touch with your creative energy. Do something with it. What do you do that is creative? Write? Sing? Dance? Act? Bake cherry pies? Give massages? Well, whatever it is or they are, DO! For example, did you know that you are a poet? Prove it to yourself. Sit down with a pencil and paper. (Pen and paper will do.) Find out what you're feeling, find a though or group of words that fits that feeling and write them down. Now, instead of writing the words this way, write them this way. Put words that you want to stand out on separate lines. Forget every thing "they" taught you about poetry in school. Do this three or four times. Keep it up. You'll get a poem. Honest. Rule 1: Line for line, poetry need not rhyme. Rule 2: Honest, clear expression of a fully felt experience is what poetry is all about. Eighty-nine:Enjoy! Be happy, cheerful, joyful, delighted, pleased--as often as you can, as much as you can, for as long as you can. You may feel some guilt about being joyful after a loss. Know that you are not being disloyal to the love you lost by moving on with your life--and moving on must certainly include joy. This poem is a kiss for your mind. Ninety: Appreciation As you grow, you will begin to regain your sense of appreciation, of awe. The sense of childlike wonder, which was lost to you for a while, will return. Enjoy it. Sunsets and children laughing. City streets and country roads. The wonder of "this time called life." The Wonder Years need never end. The cosmic dance to celestial melodies, free form within patterns of precise limitations. The painting I know so well. The canvas I want to learn, and, perhaps, someday, the artist. Ninety-one: Do Something for Someone Else If you begin feeling sorry for yourself (not genuine sorrow, but the "poor put-upon me" variety), the best way to cure this is to do something for someone else. Drive someone to the grocery store. Tune a friend's car. Volunteer to take calls at the local suicide prevention center, rap line, hot line or similar service. Visit someone in a hospital--anyone. Wash windows or do housework for an older person. Read to the blind. Talk to the lonely. Listen to the ignored. Giving is the greatest gift you can give yourself. As the saying goes, "Don't return a favor; pass it on." Now's the time to pass on all the good favors you received during your time of loss. In taking, I get. In giving, I receive. In being loved, I am filled full. In loving, I am fulfilled. The greatest gift is to fill a need unnoticed. Ninety-two: Appreciate Your Growth Having weathered a crisis, expect to discover a stronger you a different you a more evolved you You're changing and growing into a happier you a more joyful you an independent you The world outside is a mirror, reflecting the good & bad joy & sorrow laughter & tears within me. Some people are difficult mirrors to look into, but you I look at you and I see all the beauty inside of me. Ninety-three: Your Happiness Is Up to You Happiness depends on your attitude toward what happens to you, not on what happens to you. It may sound revolutionary, but problems don't have to make you unhappy. This runs counter to our cultural programming--which tells us we must react in certain negative ways to certain "negative" events. Nonetheless, happiness is always our choice. That is a reality of life. Stop waiting for Prince Charming, Cinderella, more money, the right job, total health or anything else before you're happy. Stop waiting. Choose satisfaction. Be happy. Now. I am worthy. I am worthy of my life and all the good that is in it. I am worthy of my friends and their friendship. I am worthy of spacious skies, amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain. (I am worthy, too, of the fruited plain.) I am worthy of a degree of happiness that could only be referred to as "sinful" in less enlightened times. I am worthy of creativity, sensitivity and appreciation. I am worthy of peace of mind, peace on Earth, peace in the valley and a piece of the action. I am worthy of God's presence in my life. I am worthy of my love. Ninety-four: Celebrate! Throw a Survival Celebration party. Invite everyone who helped in your survival, healing and growth. Ask each of them to bring a friend (a great way to meet new people). If a party is not your style, be sure to acknowledge the help and support you received from others. Send thank-you notes, flowers, gifts or whatever you find appropriate. Remember the value of the help you received when you come across others in need. And, especially, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done. You've been through losing, surviving, healing and growing. Now it's time for celebrating. CONGRATULATIONS! My love and God's Light be with you in all that you are and in all that you do.

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