Do we need a hearty warm up each morning!
I try and go to the gym most days as a way of getting all those positive emotions to flow through this brain of mine! Today my legs were tired, really tired….the muscles were aching and they had no energy. Did I listen ? Of course not and off I went to the gym…after a few moments I realised that I had pulled a muscle :(
That made me think. The heart is a muscle, it aches when it is tired, it aches when it needs rest time. When we are grieving we are putting so much stress on our most important muscle. We do need to listen to it so that it can have some recovery time. I was also thinking how maybe we could allow a little warm up each day to help the muscle cope with the stress.
I am going to do a heart warm up each day. I am going to wake to some gentle music, then change it to a singalong song and
allow myself to sing badly! I will also stand in front of the mirror and smile whilst telling myself of how well I am coping…
A little heart warm up may help the aching…what do you think? Am I mad? Or what heart warm ups can you think of for the start of the day?
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POSTED IN: Affirmations of Life
5 opinions for Do we need a hearty warm up each morning!
Jessica
Jul 15, 2008 at 7:32 am
I wish I had the luxury of time to do a heart (or any other kind!) of warmup in the morning. Since I have to be on the road at 6:20 am, I try to enjoy a few hours of sleep before I rise to shower and try to make myself presentable to the world. And I don’t get home until about 6:30 pm, leaving enough time to do a few tasks and to eat whatever is fairly quick to prepare or to reheat.
That’s the life of the still-employed and still-grieving and short-on-time bunch! I envy those who say they have taken several weeks or even months off, following the deaths of their loved ones. I know I would still be lonely, but maybe I could have taken care of so many still-undone tasks, such as putting both cars into my name only, as well as the house. These actions require time off during the Mon-Fri work work.
Anna
Jul 16, 2008 at 2:09 am
Jessica - I understand completely. Don’t know about you but being really busy in some ways helped me ? It got me back to everyday life quickly and also gave me some time during a day not to be thinking about what had happened. On the downside I think it stopped me from dealing with my emotion and also the day to day life felt so meaningless…..before I had loved my work, but the enjoyment was suppressed as nothing seemed to be important before.
Have you thought about listening to podcasts on your journey to work?
Jessica
Jul 16, 2008 at 9:14 am
RE: podcasts. Anna, I have about a 12-minute drive to a park-n-ride, where a van picks up several of my co-workers and myself. The van is a bit too small to listen to podcasts (believe me, others CAN hear them - I get to “enjoy” the music that another co-worker is playing). So I just tote along a novel (unfortunately, I do enjoy the clever murder mysteries) and lose myself in the fiction.
Correction to my prior post. I believe I meant the last two words to be “work week”, not “work work”. This place must be getting to me!
Mary
Jul 20, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I’ve been listening to solo piano CDs, and the music inspires me in my baby steps to learning to play the piano. It’s so healing!
Jessica, I went back to work two days after the funeral. Like most American companies/organizations, I was allowed 3 days for funeral leave. My boss said I could use vacation days if I wanted more time off! I used sick days, and he didn’t challenge me. I have a weird work schedule that allowed me to take care of all the estate, financial, and legal matters before I went to work.
Going back to work really helped me. It was a place where I felt normal. Life continued on in a way that comforted me. It was a non-Michael environment, so I could escape my grief for 8 hours. People were surprisingly supportive. Widows sought me out and offered their words of consolation. A couple of work friends really helped me. They knew Michael only through my stories of him. After he died, they would listen to my reminiscences. I’m very grateful for the support.
Some of my most emotional times came with my interactions with the DMV and banks. The people were always kind and respectful. Sometimes I couldn’t even get the words out when I needed to state my reason for the transaction.
Please be gentle with yourself. Things will eventually get done. I still haven’t changed the Comcast bill or the gas/electric bill over to my name. They want a death certificate, and I just don’t feel like giving it to them. Being stubborn, I guess. :)
Anna
Jul 21, 2008 at 9:50 am
Mary what a wonderful comment. I remember the gas bill as well, I just wish companies had some kind of training of how to deal with those kind of situations. They are so hurtful on the widows or widowers….you feel almost like a criminal as though you are trying to fiddle the system. The only thing I felt was criminal was him being taken from me….
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