Loss

“You never know what you have till you've lost it.” 
― Alyson Noel, Evermore

Loss is an inevitable part of live.  So is the attachment to people and things.  We must all learn to accept change and loss.  But it is not easy.  Feelings of sadness, denial, anger, fear, and confusion are common when you have lost someone or something that was precious to you.  It's important to accept and experience these feelings rather than pushing them away.  Some quiet time after a loss becomes more important.  You can take the time to feel and to grieve.

Try the three minute breathing space.  For about three minutes (and no, don't time yourself) take some deep breaths.  Try to clear your mind from thoughts of what has happened or what you must do next.  Just be......, feel....., breathe....  When thoughts come, acknowledge them, let them go, return your attention to your breath.   Just be.... for about three minutes.   Then .... name the feeling your are experiencing right now.  Whether you like them or not, just name them.  And try to accept the feelings as part of your life in this moment.  

Describing what sensations feelings cause in your body can help you to accept them.  Does the feeling make your breathing change, change your heart rate, make you warmer/colder, tenser, heavier/lighter, tired/more energetic, etc.  For example, many people notice when they are sad their breathing slows, they feel tired or weak, and their heart rate slows.  Others notice they feel colder.  Your experiences may be different.  Just describe the sensations you feel.

Through acceptance of feelings we can become more accepting of change.....and thereby more accepting of loss.  Because.....

“eventually, everything goes away.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

It's not unusual to be afraid of loss and therefore, to become afraid of attachment.  However, a life without people we love and things that we enjoy might not be very joyful or fulfilling.  So continue to love.  And continue to be aware of change.  And learn to accept your feelings more and more each day.

“It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”
― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent