How does grief affect your sense of time? Are you usually contemplating time with a sense of past, present or future? Turning back our clocks from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time made me wax philosophical with our sense of time.
Time and Grief: Past
Do you tend to live more in the past, present or the future? For those of us who have lost a loved one, it is so easy to wish to turn back the clocks to relive our lives with them. We sigh or tear up and reminisce the good times when they were with us. Perhaps viewing old photos or videos may take us to the past. Some may need counseling or therapy to handle the additional stress of grief in their lives. Here is a wonderful resource for grief coping strategies: https://positivepsychology.com/grief-counseling/
Pondering the Future
Sometimes you may be tempted to ignore your current life and strongly desire to be with your loved one in the afterlife. While this may be a longing, it simply is not your healthiest alternative as a focus.
When our thoughts dwell too much in the past or the future, it can lower the quality of our lives by ignoring the present. Let’s ponder the wisdom of living in the present.
Quotes on the Present
- If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is to be present in the present. Gratefully. Maya Angelou
- The great science to live happily is to live in the present. Pythagoras
- Don’t count the days, make the days count. Muhammed Ali
- If you’ve got a today, don’t wear it tomorrow. Tomorrow never happens. It’s all the same day. Janis Joplin
- Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift. Oprah Winfrey
- The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. Abraham Maslow
- Today is the blocks with which we build. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past and not enough presence. Eckhart Tolle
- I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore. Randy Pausch
- What day is it? “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favorite day,” said Pooh. Piglet & Winnie the Pooh
Just as Winnie the Pooh, may you find all of your todays as your favorite day!
