Heal Grief and Sadness Naturally: Three Powerful and Practical Strategies

We all face tragedies in our lives, evoking grief, sadness and despair. This is a natural part of life. How we nurture ourselves and process feelings greatly impacts our physical and mental wellness. These three strategies can help you find balance during moments of loss or grief.nn(1) Support the Energy of the Body: Lungs, Large Intestine and Liver Energy The lung and large intestine meridians are often associated with the emotions of sadness and grief, and our immunity system. See additional resources for more information about these meridian pathways. Thus, western researchers have discovered that when people are grieving or depressed, often times their T cells (fighter immunity cells) drop. So, there is a strong correlation between feeling grief and an increased tendency to experience viral and bacterial infections. By brushing and massaging these meridians, you can release the energetic charge of grief and sadness and bring balance to your immunity system. Also, take some time to release anger. It's natural to feel anger when we experience loss. To energetically release anger, tap the liver which is right under the right rib cage and exhale deeply while saying the sound "shuuuuuu" (pronounced as "shoe"). Breathe deeply as you tap and relax.nn(2) Pamper Yourself It can be helpful to engage in activities that you might ordinarily deny yourself-pampering activities such as a facial, massage, relaxation session, extra time with family or friends, or just quiet time by yourself. Nourishing ourselves helps to release and heal grief. Acupressure and medical qi gong, with a focus on grief support, can empower you to feel and process your sadness and grief, and to balance the biochemical changes that occur when we feel strong emotions. Also, move your body to nourish your emotional self. The energy of grief and sadness can make us feel heavy and physically sluggish, as if we cannot move. Qi gong (which you can perform lying down if you are tired) and tai chi, begin to liberate the body from the heavier emotional states and help to remind yourself that forward movement is possible. Frequent walks, dance, or working out at the gym can also help-just make sure not to overdo, or you will end up depleting your energy instead of building energy. Make certain to engage in qi gong deep breathing as often our breathing becomes shallow when we are grieving. Exhale slowly for a count of 9 and imagine gray grief leaving the lungs. Inhale slowly for a count of 9 and imagine golden light and love filling the lungs.nn(3) Dietary Support Diet can help support the body when we are faced with loss in our lives. Often times when we are grieving, our immunity level may drop, serotonin levels may diminish and melatonin may also be disrupted. This can result in sleep disturbances and increased sadness. These foods can help restore balance. 1. Increase support of your immunity system by eating more turnips, cauliflower and pears. All of these foods also support the energy of large intestine and lung meridians. 2. Increase vitamin C to support the immunity naturally with extra servings of fruits such as tangerines or oranges, pineapples, cherries, and fresh carrot juice. 3. Increase zinc to support immunity with beef, lamb, pork, crab meat, turkey, chicken, lobster, clams and salmon. 4. Increase melatonin to promote better sleep with foods such as oats, rice bran, and ginger.n