Anxiety can be a major component of our grief. Sometimes I feel like I've experienced more anxiety in the last seven months than I have at any other point in life. For me, it mostly has to do with worrying about friends and remaining family, or about where my future is heading. Dr. Ali Mattu has another really great video to help out: "10 Quick Anxiety Relief Techniques".
A few years ago, I found this message inside a Chinese fortune cookie: "The solution to grief is motion." Not a fortune, of course, but a wise saying nonetheless. Over the last couple months, I have tried to apply these words into my daily life, as I continue to work through my own grief. Whether it's doing physical labor or going for a leisurely-paced walk, staying in motion has helped in dealing with my own sadness and anxiety. Trying to do ANYTHING physical can feel like an enormous effort, especially if you are still in the early stages of grief -- but if you can find a way to make yourself do something, I have found that it does give you some sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, even if you're feeling lousy the rest of the time. Baby steps every day.
For those of you who might not be familiar, the 2020 American movie Nomadland tells the story of Fern (played by actress Frances McDormand)...
