OVERWHELM? PT 2 | HOW DO I STAY MOTIVATED?
Hi inspirations! I hope you are well. I found this blog post sitting in my drafts, written on 2nd July 2022. Today on 7th June 2024, I share it with you all. It’ll become evident why as you read ❤️.
acknowledgement & Seeking Help
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
In part 1 of “Overwhelm”, we looked at how overwhelm and procrastination are linked, and explored a few solutions to help us climb our way into healthier habits. In this post I want to expand on the “acknowledgement” aspect.
The Christian Standard Bible says “Even when I go through the darkest valley…” and I feel like I’ve been going through this dark valley for a while. Just as there seems to be a glimmer of light, something happens to dim it. And I’m tired.
Everyone has their own story with the grief that results from death - some have not grieved any one, others one person, mulitple people. And then there are the layers of how a loved one has died, regrets of those who are left behind, the different ways we grieve as individuals and collectively. The time it takes to grieve, how are mind, body and soul react to the day to day, missed oppoutnities… grief is not an easy feat. And then on top of that, some are grieving jobs, relationships, homes, what used to be good health, and so much more.
My story is that since 2018 there has been at least one family member that has passed away.
2018 - My paternal grandmother - whom I am named after
2019 - Older brother-in-law by marriage
2020 - Grandmother-in-law
2021 was a particularly hard year as some of you will know with the passing of my maternal Uncle and oldest sister-in-law passing within 4 months apart. And here I am again, mid-2022 freshly grieving again. This time my Daddy (edit: he passed on 7th June 2022).
It’s so interesting to me the different ways we grieve. I have definitely not grieved everyone in the same way. In fact, I think there has been some suppression for some of those who have passed because it’s felt surreal and just didn’t know how to handle it. Like a constant numbness to the fact they have passed or head knowledge that hadn’t quite hit the heart.
However, these last 14 months have been hit after hit after hit and I think I’m at a point I don’t quite know how to handle it. My Dad passing has been the biggest blow to date. I mean… how can I last seen him alive & well at Kumasi ariport and then exactly 2 weeks later he’s gone? How? God how? As much as I say “God how?”, I also say “God thank You” because I have seen His hand in the grief in different ways. One for me being the fact I can still keep connected with Him. To be fair I wouldn’t have spiritual strength if I didn’t keep close to The Holy Spirit. It’s not like I am walking with my head above the clouds with strength, but sometimes the strength I need is to get up and go and eat, or to go on a walk, or to have the energy to reply messages or EVEN to pray & read the Bible. Secondly, and very briefly, there had been some things that God had been showing me about His love for me through my Daddy, and also the specific way my Dad comforted me when I got to my maternal family house in Ghana to celebrate my Uncle’s one year, in which two others when my Dad passed did.
For today I don’t know how much more I wanna write but I do want to share two videos about dealing with grief from accounts of other Christians. One thing I have found has been the sense of comfort and growing hope when I have spoken to others about the grief they have faced - especially this time around those who have lost their fathers. These two videos are losses of other family members and I have added trigger warnings below:
Spirit of Comfort - Rich & Ness Wilson - contains themes of illness
Thirty Minutes with The Perrys - contains themes of robbery, murder and forgiveness
