how we have to acknowledge grief and mourn in order to continue to move towards God’s vision for our life.  Many items can be lost such as a job, pets, friendships, and marriages.  As men, we need to take time and space to let our brain catch up to the event that has happened. Johanna shares her 7 steps included below and talks about the power of writing a closure letter on the grief you are going through.

Grief is like an epic hike through a desolate land.

7 Steps of the Journey:

1. TRAILHEAD: AT THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY

a. Set the intention to heal, to integrate

b. Look for a sign you are grieving: Cognitive, Affective, Physical, Spiritual

c. You ONLY work where grief is coming up, that’s the beginning

d. Feel the pain (No pain, No gain)... It brings healing

2. LOOK AT THE MAP (Pssst... it’s a magical map)

a. The magical map only appears as you walk forward in your grief

b. It’s completely unique to you (circumstance, personality, etc.)

c. Dispel misconceptions (don’t look for stages)

3. BEGIN WALKING

a. Small doses as it comes up

b. One thing at a time

c. We cannot grieve all at one time. We wouldn’t be able to take it!

d. Be creative... example: recognizing important dates (or your body will tell you)

4. GATHER WITH OTHERS - DON’T GRIEVE IN ISOLATION

a. Grieving is internal - Mourning is your external or public experience of grief

b. ESSENTIAL - speak about the experience of the loss, memories, etc.

c. Moves from the head to the heart (READ THIS AGAIN!!!)

d. Look for the 1⁄3 who are good with grief (most likely someone who has dealt with

their own grief)

5. STOP FOR REST

a. Sustenance for your epic journey

b. Maybe learn to rest for the first time

6. EXERCISE JOY AND PAIN MUSCLE

a. Like any normal ruck or hike there is joy with the pain

b. Practice this often when you are grieving

7. GET TO THE LOOKOUT

a. Reflect on how far you have come (when you look at the loss with less pain)

b. See parts of yourself that are becoming whole again - integrating the loss

c. This is OFTEN understanding who you are (e.g. identity)

Sponsor:

Tom 'Doc' Love CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS® [email protected]

Craig Heah. [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://www.themainstreetgroup.com/