This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org. When my father died, I managed my grief through writing. Sharing stories about visits to my hometown, recounting how his favorite chair keeps me connected to him, and describing our frequent lunches, have helped me process his death.
While words are my path to healing, others find comfort and hope in therapy, support groups and conversations with friends. But it turns out there are myriad ways to process grief that fall outside traditional methods. “You spend all this energy trying to color in the lines of your life while grieving, and that’s because that’s how society wants us to act,” says Rebecca Soffer, co-founder of the Modern Loss community and author of “Modern Loss.” “The key is to figure out what kind of activities, both passive and active, make you feel OK in any given moment.” Whether you’re searching for a way to supplement therapy sessions or are eager to work through your sorrow in a different setting, consider stepping out of your comfort zone with these creative and unusual strategies to manage grief.
““Splatter art is amazing because that’s what grief is — it touches everything. It’s a total mess, so go in the room and make a mess, have a cathartic moment.””
— Rebecca Soffer, author of “Modern Loss.”
Grief yoga uses movement and breath Paul Denniston, author of “Healing Through Yoga,” combined aspects of various types of yoga: Hatha, Vinyasa, Kundalini, Restorative, Laughter Yoga, and Chakradance, to create Grief Yoga. He says Grief Yoga isn’t about physical flexibility but more about empowering the person to tap into their strength and courage by using mo …